Philippine vice-president Sara Duterte has announced she will contest the country’s 2028 presidential election, positioning herself as a challenger to the administration she once helped bring to power.
Speaking on Wednesday, the 47-year-old said she was offering her “life, strength and future” in service of the Philippines. In a pointed address, she accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr of presiding over an era of widespread corruption.
Duterte was formerly allied with Marcos, running alongside him on a joint ticket in the 2022 election that delivered a landslide victory. Their partnership later collapsed, and she resigned from his cabinet two years into the administration following a public and bitter feud.
Relations deteriorated further last year after her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested in Manila and flown to The Hague to face charges at the International Criminal Court. Sara Duterte condemned the arrest at the time as “oppression and persecution”.
Rodrigo Duterte is due to appear before the ICC next week for a pre-trial hearing over killings linked to his anti-drugs campaign. Thousands of people, many from poor urban communities, were shot dead during the crackdowns. After his arrest, he said he accepted responsibility for the policy and later told a Senate inquiry he had “no apologies, no excuses”.
In her latest speech, Sara Duterte apologised for having once run in tandem with Marcos, saying she regretted helping his election bid. She criticised rising prices, stagnant incomes, food insecurity and what she described as a failing healthcare system.
Opinion polls suggest she would be a formidable contender in a future election. Her father remained popular with many voters throughout his presidency, despite sustained international condemnation of his drug war.
Sara Duterte is, however, facing legal challenges of her own. Several impeachment complaints have been filed against her, including one lodged by a group of nuns, priests and lawyers alleging misuse of public funds during her time as vice-president and as education secretary. She has also been accused of threatening to assassinate President Marcos, an allegation she has denied.
An impeachment case against her last year was dismissed by the supreme court on procedural grounds.
Known for combative rhetoric, Duterte has previously threatened to exhume the remains of Marcos’s late father, the former dictator, and throw them into the sea.
Explaining her decision to run, she said she had come to accept a life shaped by public duty rather than personal happiness, describing her sense of responsibility to her family and country.
President Marcos is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election after serving a single six-year term. His administration has recently come under pressure following allegations that billions of dollars were misspent on fraudulent flood relief projects. He has pledged zero tolerance for corruption and said those responsible would face imprisonment.
