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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sara Duterte reveals she never dreamt of becoming VP: 'I wanted to become a pediatrician'

Sara Duterte reveals she never dreamt of becoming VP: 'I wanted to become a pediatrician'

Published Jul 16, 2023 12:00 pm
If things turned out the way she wanted them, Vice President Sara Duterte would have been a pediatrician today and not the country’s second-highest official. Vice President Sara Duterte speaks during the graduation rites of the Ismael Mathay Sr. High School in Quezon City on Friday, July 14, 2023. (OVP photo) She revealed during a speech before 661 graduates of the Ismael Mathay Sr. High School’s commencement exercises that she originally pursued medicine but found herself in law school because of the difficulties she had in achieving her original dream. “I made a one-day decision, lilipat ako sa (I will transfer to) law school. And surprisingly, kung gaano kahirap ang med school para sa akin, ganoon kadali ‘yung daan para sa akin sa law school (compared to how difficult med school was for me, law school was easier),” Duterte said. “I wanted to become a pediatrician . . . Nandun na ako, first year (of) medicine . . . Pero, hindi talaga siya naging madali para sa akin (I’m already there, first year of medicine . . . However, it really wasn’t easy for me),” she recalled. The Vice President shared that it wasn’t easy for her to go home to Davao City because it is a tradition in the provinces for parents to put up huge banners and streamers if their children pass licensure examinations. “So, hindi ako makabalik sa amin sa Davao City… dahil babalik ako nang hindi ako doktor . . . So, sabi ko sa sarili ko, siguro naman kung maging abogado ako, tatanggapin ako at papauwiin ako ng mga magulang ko (So, I couldn’t go back to Davao City because I didn’t become a doctor . . . So, I told myself, maybe if I become a lawyer, my parents will accept me and let me come home),” Duterte added. This failure of achieving her dreams to become a pediatrician was at the core of her messages during her graduation speeches. “I never dreamed of becoming the Philippine Vice President. Politics was not that garden I was cultivating growing up,” she said. “God had a different plan for me. And God's plan is something we cannot change or defy,” she added. If there’s one thing she learned from failing to achieve her dream, it was to “follow the path that leads us to a place that allows us to reach our full potential.” “This is where we become excellent individuals — a value here in your school, excellently serving others, our communities, and our beloved country,” the official said.

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