Amid what she calls the politicking brought by the coming 2025 polls, Vice President Sara Duterte asked voters to demand candidates to show their capacity to lead and mental stability to govern.

Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media on the sidelines of a business conference in Pasay City on Oct. 22, 2024 (Raymund Antonio/MANILA BULLETIN)

The official made the remarks on the sidelines of a business conference where she was a guest of honor and speaker on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
 

“Payo ko sa mga kababayan natin sa mga nangyayari sa pulitika ngayon ay mag-demand kayo sa mga kandidato sa susunod na taon na eleksyon (My advice to our countrymen amid what’s happening in politics right now is to demand from the candidates in next year’s elections),” she said.
 

“Mag-demand kayo sa kanila. Anong nagawa nyo? Anong plano nyo? Magpa-drug test kayo. O sige, extend na natin, magpa-neuro-psychiatric exam kayo, mag-demand kayo sa mga kandidato (Make demands. What have you done? What are your plans? Take drug test? Ok, let’s extend it, take a neuro-psychiatric exam, make demands from the candidates),” she added.
 

In the same interview with reporters, Duterte said she was “game” to take a psychological exam to prove her mental stability after critics accused her of being “unstable” following her tirades against the Marcos family in a press conference last week.
 

In turn, the Vice President challenged congressional candidates and her political rivals to take a drug test, claiming that they, too, are unstable because they couldn’t accept the fact she would fight back against their political attacks.
 

“Mag-demand kayo na labas and beyond sa pera na binibigay nila sa inyo ng pambili ng boto. Ano ba talaga ang magagawa nila para sa inyong lugar, para sa ating bansa (Make demands beyond the money they give you to buy votes. What can they really do for our country)?,” she said.
 

The official reminded voters that politicking has no place in real progress, and the Philippines will forever be hindered if the government keeps on attacking its critics. 
 

“Sa aking lahat na mga kababayan, hindi tayo uusad kung puro korapsyon, pulitika at pang-aatake ang gagawin ng gobyerno. Ang ginagawa ng gobyerno (To all my countrymen, we will not move forward if the government is focused on corruption, politics, and attacking its critics. What the government is doing is) they silence people to talk about the harsh truth,” Duterte added.