Vice President Sara Duterte assured her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, that he doesn’t need to worry about her as she faces political attacks.
(From right) Vice President Sara Duterte and former president Rodrigo Duterte (Richard Madelo/Presidential Photo)
She said this during a media interview shortly after making a surprise appearance in the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s inquiry on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) alleged misuse of public funds on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Asked about her father’s health, the Vice President said he seemed “okay” and that she had let those around him know that he shouldn’t concern himself about her.
“Okay naman ata siya. Hindi kami nagkakausap (He seemed okay. We have not been talking),” she shared.
“Pero sinasabihan ko lagi yung mga nakapaligid sa kanya na sabihin sa kanya wag maiistress sa nangyayari tulad nang sinabi ko din kay Ma’am GMA (But I always tell those around him to tell him not to stress himself about what’s happening, like what I told Ma’am GMA),” she added, referring to her mentor, former president and Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
During the House inquiry on Wednesday, Duterte was seen whispering to Arroyo, as well as Sagip Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who became her defenders in the lower chamber.
The official said she assured them that she can handle the attacks being thrown her way and that they both should not stress themselves about her.
Asked if she regrets not listening to the former president’s advice about joining national politics, the Vice President recognized how the former chief executive has repeatedly told her not to run for the presidency.
“Naririnig nyo si PRRD, di ba nagsasabi siya wag kang tumakbong president (You will hear PRRD he’s saying do not run for president),” she said.
“Ngayon sinasabi niya, yan din sinabi niya nung 2021. ‘H'wag kang tumakbong president kasi nanggaling na ako diyan,’ sabi niya. ‘Hindi madali yan trabaho. Maawa ako sa iyo (Now, he’s also saying what he’s saying in 2021. Do not run for president because I have been there. He said the job’s not easy. I will pity you),’” Duterte added.
The Vice President also shared how her father has warned her against joining forces with the Marcoses, and admitted that she will “never again” team up with them.
Duterte and President Marcos successfully won as a UniTeam tandem in the 2022 polls, but had a falling out recently, with the Vice President hinting the current administration and its allies were behind the political attacks against her.
Meanwhile, the official said she will make an announcement about her political plans by the end of 2026, or two years before the 2028 national elections.
“As of now, this very minute, I will [announce] if I will run by the fourth quarter of 2026,” she stated in a mix of English and Filipino.
During her seven-minute opening speech, she accused lawmakers of using the House inquiry as a platform for political attacks because they want to foil any plans by her to run in 2028.
But the Vice President has seemingly accepted that such political attacks are part of her life as a public official.