DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/9 April) —Vice President Sara Duterte again took potshots at President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

Speaking at the sidelines of the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan at the Veterans Memorial Monument along Roxas Avenue, Davao City, Duterte said there is a need for accountability and stronger national direction that the current state of affairs does not reflect.

“Sadly, the state of our nation today reveals how we failed the Filipino soldier,” she said.

Duterte also raised concerns over the Bangsamoro peace process, saying justice, trust, and sustained commitments are absent.

“When agreements are not fully implemented, when communities feel abandoned, and the fragile foundations of peace break apart,” Duterte said, “it should be our soldiers and the Moro youth who will pay the price.”

The Bangsamoro peace process is currently undergoing some kinks. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has temporarily suspended all engagements related to the implementation of the peace agreement following the resignation of the government peace panel chief.

The MILF said the implementation of the agreement cannot proceed until Marcos appoints a new full-fledged chairman for the GPH (Government of the Philippines) Peace Implementing Panel, a position left vacant after then Undersecretary Cesar B. Yano (Ret.) resigned in February.

“We must demand accountability from our leaders,” she added.

Asked about government’s response to ongoing crises, she said responsibility ultimately lies with national leadership.

“Kung ang tanong is, ‘Ano ba dapat ang ginagawa ng pamahalaan?’ ay dapat tanungin natin ang ating Pangulo. Ano ba ang ginagawa niya para tulungan ang mga kababayan natin? (If the question is what should the government do, we should ask our President what he is doing to help our countrymen),” Duterte said, deflecting the question towards the administration’s top elected official.

She added that fuel prices would only ease “kung magagawan nila ng paraan yoong problema sa supply doon sa Middle East, or mapapababa siya kung mayroong ibang supply na hindi dumadaan sa Middle East na papasok sa ating bayan (if they can do something about the supply problem in the Middle East; or, it will go down if there is another supply that does not pass through the Middle East and enters our country),” she said, framing the solution as dependent on broader government action.

Duterte had attended the Araw ng Kagitingan rites in Davao City, which marked the 84th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and honored Filipino veterans and soldiers.

Major General Alvin V. Luzon, Commander of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division of the Philippine Army, emphasized continuity between past and present struggles, describing the commemoration as both remembrance and a call to action.

“While Bataan fell, the fight did not end. The spirit of resistance did not perish on those shores. It endured, it adapted, it moved, it lived on across our archipelago, most especially here in Mindanao,” Luzon said.

He also pointed to emerging challenges such as the energy crisis and external pressures, urging Filipinos to uphold the same courage and patriotism shown by past generations.

The ceremony included wreath-laying rites, and participation from local officials, members of the uniformed services, students, and representatives of national agencies.

Araw ng Kagitingan, observed every April 9, commemorates the valor of Filipino and American soldiers who fought in Bataan during World War II. (Bea Gatmaytan/MindaNews)