MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
In 24 hours or so our new Vice President will have been sworn in. And still no news about where she will hold office and where her new home is likely to be.
Born May 31, 1978 Sara Duterte Carpio is a Gemini, sign of the Twins. Going by astrological profiles, she has two of everything, such as German and Filipino blood, and two positions in government. Geminis are mentally alert and possess a youthful personality. On TV, a security guard at the Davao City Hall was teary-eyed confessing how much he’d miss Inday Sara after a career of 27 years.
As VP and DepEd secretary, it seems only logical that Sara be based in Manila. Should she be forced to make the move out of Davao, would she have the heart to move her children, too, removing them from other members of the family, their friends and classmates? As her father the President warned her before she became a candidate, it won’t be easy for a young mother with small kids to hold down a national position (let alone a second job in the President’s cabinet).
The VP’s choice of her beloved city as the venue for her oath-taking could be a signal that, circumstances permitting, she’d much prefer to operate out of Davao City, WFH-wise or otherwise. On the other hand, if Metro Manila is inevitable, would she follow her predecessors and pick Coconut Palace (as did Jojo Binay) at CCP complex or Boracay Mansion (Leni Robredo) in Quezon City?
A source pointed out that Arlegui House inside Malacanang’s sprawling estate is “on the list” of probable addresses for VP Sara. “Arlegui,” as it was called in the ‘70s after it was renovated to serve as a guest house for visiting VIP’s, is more homey than either of those two palace-like buildings. (Where Coconut Palace owns a long table for 24 carved from one piece of wood, Arlegui has a grand piano.)
Sara Zimmerman Duterte Carpio, 44, brings a breath of fresh air, a newborn season of energy to the vice presidency. She is 20 years younger than the new President, years younger than her predecessors, and decades younger than the two rivals that she beat handily in the last election.