Sara Duterte knows the challenge of being Rodrigo Duterte’s offspring better than anyone else.
Sara, the former Davao City mayor and the current Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines, and the eldest child of the former president, has perhaps even lived up to that challenge.
Though largely expected to inherit her father’s presidency after he stepped down, Sara shocked her legions of supporters when she instead filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for reelection as local chief executive, then withdrew that later to team up with then former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to be his vice-presidential running mate.
Perhaps, it was her way to step out of her father’s shadow and carve her own name in the insatiable world of Philippine politics.
Duterte, after all, had always tried to forge her own path—even if politics seemed to be running in her blood—by taking up respiratory therapy as a pre-medicine course in the hopes of fulfilling her dream to become a doctor.
But after much prodding from family and friends, she took up law, passed the Bar exam, and eventually entered politics, serving in the same halls she once roamed as a child.
Did that make her the former president’s favorite?
“Hindi naman. But sa tingin ko may (Not really. But in my opinion, he has a) bias sya for me dahil (because) I’m a lawyer,” she told Pastor Apollo Quiboloy during an SMNI interview.
She explained that this bias might come from her being a lawyer “kasi Filipino parents somehow importante sa kanila kung (To Filipino parents somehow it is important to them if their child is a lawyer or doctor).”
This might not be far from the truth, as the former president was once quoted saying he was “afraid” of his daughter as she has the political influence in the family. It was rumored that she had led the toppling of an important political personality in the House of Representatives.
“Inday is the one taking the lead. Wala na ako eh. I know that after three years, wala na talaga ako. I will no longer be able to run and you will also not be able to tell Inday what to do,” the former chief executive was once quoted as saying.
OVP’s official home and satellite offices
Two of the major projects of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) under Duterte are finding an official residence for the country’s second highest official and opening satellite offices in far-flung provinces to make OVP assistance programs more accessible to the people.
She didn’t waste time opening the first seven satellite offices in Bacolod, Surigao del Sur, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Dagupan, and Zamboanga, while the central office is housed at the Robinsons Cybergate Plaza in Mandaluyong City.
The OVP had also shortlisted the possible locations of the vice presidents’ official residence and the budget for this is expected to form part of the OVP’s expenses for 2023.
“Nakalagay sa ating (It is stated in the) Constitution na wala talagang trabaho ang vice president (the vice president has no other work) except to be a president-in-waiting and except he or she is assigned a Cabinet position. So the singular legacy that we want to leave after six years is a permanent residence for the future vice presidents,” Duterte earlier said.
This plan received the support of solons, who agreed that a permanent resident for vice presidents would result in stability and reduce cost of office operations.
Expanded medical assistance
Just last week, the OVP partnered with an additional 50 hospitals and dialysis centers to expand its list of providers for its medical assistance program.
The OVP’s medical and burial assistance program is its banner social services, which Duterte intends to expand through its satellite offices to make them more accessible to the people.
“Medical and burial assistance are among the social services implemented by the OVP, and these have been the most requested aid of marginalized Filipinos,” the OVP said in a statement.
According to Duterte’s office, there have been 20,002 beneficiaries of the program since Duterte assumed office with aid amounting to P179,600,103.27 as of Dec. 9.
Aside from the OVP Central Office in Mandaluyong City, in-patient and out-patient beneficiaries may now avail themselves of the medical assistance through the seven satellite offices in Bacolod, Surigao del Sur, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Dagupan, and Zamboanga.
Libreng Sakay program
In a bid to augment a similar program by the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr), Duterte also led the launching of the OVP’s “Libreng Sakay” program, which will use five buses on loan from the private sector.
“We hope that through this program, we will be able to provide relief to some of our fellow Filipinos who rely on public transport for their daily commute to work, to school, and to many other places,” Duterte said during the official launch ceremony of the OVP Libreng Sakay program at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in August.
The five buses were on loan to her during the 2022 campaign. Two of the buses are being used in Metro Manila, one in Davao City, one in Cebu, and one in Bacolod.
The two buses in Manila traverse the EDSA route during peak hours—from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then again from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The the OVP said the program aims to accommodate more routes, including Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, should they get additional buses from the private sector.
ISO recertification
Just before the holiday season, the OVP passed its second and final Surveillance Audit to maintain its 2022 International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification 9001:2015 for the OVP’s Quality Management System (OVP-QMS).
The OVP said the ISO certification is “consistent” with Executive Order No. 605 series 2007, which seeks to institutionalize quality management systems in government.
The EO directed all departments and agencies of the Executive branch, including all government-owned and/or controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) “to adopt the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems as part of the implementation of a government-wide quality management program.”
“The OVP developed a Quality Management System (QMS) certifiable to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 towards its goal of continuously enhancing its management systems and support processes to ensure efficient delivery of quality services,” it said in a statement.
What the future holds
With a mere six months at its helm, Duterte knows the OVP can do much more, especially as it decentralized its services to reach more Filipinos.
During the deliberations for its proposed 2023 budget, the OVP got the backing from both chambers of Congress, paving the way for the eventual approval of its P2.3-billion budget.
The OVP said this would go to good governance initiatives, as well as Duterte’s programs—Mag-Negosyo 'Ta Day, Peace 911, and the construction of the OVP’s permanent residence.
But while the Vice President had been hard at work these past six months, millions of her supporters still hope that the political landscape of the next years would be ripe enough for Duterte to throw her hat into the 2028 presidential race.
The official had largely remained mum about her political plans beyond 2022 but if the past proved anything, it’s that Duterte never cowered from the challenge—whether it be in carrying her father’s name, running with Marcos despite her father’s misgivings, or uprooting her family’s quiet Davao life to heed the call to serve.