Lawmakers weigh in on Sara Duterte’s 2028 presidential bid announcement

Lawmakers from the House of Representatives and the Senate weighed in Wednesday on Vice President Sara Duterte’s announcement of her 2028 presidential bid.

House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said the Vice President’s announcement almost two years before the elections just proves that she broke her Uniteam alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for ambition, not principles.

“The announcement removes any ambiguity. The distancing was not rooted in governance reform. It was part of a larger electoral trajectory. Succession politics reshape alliances. That is the reality. If corruption and inefficiency were the real reasons, those concerns should have been documented while she was inside the Cabinet,” Ortega said.

He said the turning point in the alliance was the controversy surrounding confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and to the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary.

"When Congress exercised its constitutional power of oversight and sought explanations on how confidential and intelligence funds were utilized, the issue was accountability…the duty to explain to the Filipino people how public money is safeguarded within legal parameters,” he added.

Instead of explaining her confidential fund spending, Ortega said the Vice President escalated attacks against the President and his allies.

“The timeline is clear. Questions were raised. Instead of institutional engagement, we saw political disengagement,” Ortega said.

The Vice President's use of confidential fund allocation both as Vice President and Education chief was later cited as grounds for her impeachment.

As such, Ortega said that the Vice President should stop saying that lawmakers are merely playing politics when there are efforts to impeach her.

“Congress has the constitutional mandate to scrutinize public expenditures. Asking questions about confidential and intelligence funds is not harassment,” he added.

Ortega’s colleagues in the opposition ranks agreed that it was the Vice President who has always been playing politics.

"Well, sino ngayon ang namumulitika? 2026 pa lang inanunsyo na na tatakbo siyang presidente. Mukhang walang inatupag itong si VP Sara Duterte kung hindi ang pamumulitika niya para sa 2028. Ano bang maasahan sa isang Duterte presidency na naman? ’Yung mataas na presyo ng bilihin, lalo na ng bigas dahil sa Rice Tariffication law, ’yung mas mataas na buwis sa CREATE law…’yan ang mga legacy ni Duterte, bukod pa doon sa pagiging tuta ng China. Galing tayo sa isang pangulo na mamamatay tao na Duterte. Ngayon naman, may Duterte na mandarambong na kailangan humarap sa impeachment dahil sa pagwaldas sa confidential funds," House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers party-list Representative Antonio Tinio told reporters.

(Who is playing politics now? It seems the Vice President is just about playing politics all the time. What can we expect from another Duterte presidency? Her father's legacy is high rice prices, high taxes, and being China's lapdog...from a murderer Duterte we have a plunderer Duterte who needs to face impeachment due to wastage of confidential funds.)

“Kaya dapat talaga ma-impeach itong si VP Sara Duterte para hindi na makatakbo at hindi na mabudol muli ang sambayanang Pilipinas,” he added.

Tinio said the Vice President’s announcement will not stop the House from initiating an impeachment case against her.

“Talagang matutuloy na 'yung impeachment. Malinaw ang timing niya ng announcement niya. Pusit  tactics na naman ito para siyang pag-usapan at ipakita na inaapi siya kuno. Pero matagal nang hinihingi ng taumbayan ang pagpapanagot sa P612.5 million confidential funds, lalo na ang P125 million confidential funds na winaldas in 11 days nung kauupo pa lang niya bilang Vice President noong 2022,” Tinio said.

(The impeachment will push through. It is clear that she times her announcement of a presidential run. These are squid tactics so she can portray herself as the supposed oppressed here, but the public is looking for answers on how she spent the confidential funds, not a presidential run announcement.)

Kabataan party-list Representative Renee Co and Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, for their part, said the Vice President announced her presidential bid in a desperate attempt to dodge accountability over her confidential fund expenditures

“While we anticipate these tactics, we will persist in pursuing accountability to the end of justice. This is a distraction. The Vice President should be answering these questions: Nasaan ang kinurakot na pera ng taong bayan? Paano ito ibabalik at paano kayo mananagot? All else are just distractions,” Co said.

(Where did confidential funds go? How can it be returned to public coffers and how can we make people accountable?)

“This is a desperate attempt to divert attention on the real issue: her questionable use of confidential funds of the OVP and DepEd budget, the use of fake names, as well as disregarding checks and balances at accountability. Those are the grounds for her impeachment, kaya ang hamon dito sa mga miyembro ng Kongreso na ipakita nila ang kanilang pagiging tapat sa sinumpaang tungkulin na magsilbi sa interest ng taong bayan at hindi ang pansariling interest,” Elago added.

(This is a challenge for lawmakers to take action based on their oath of office to serve the people and not their personal interest.) 

For Senator Imee Marcos, however, the Vice President has the “solution” for the problems that the country currently faces.

“Itinaga lamang niya sa bato ang hiling at panawagan ng kanyang mga tagasuporta, kinumpirma rin niya ang takot ng kanyang mga kalaban. Siya ang katauhan ng kabaligtaran ng administrasyong ito, siya ang magbibigay ng direksyon sa kawalang patutunguhan ng bansa,” Marcos said in a statement.

(She only set in stone the wishes and calls of her supporters, she also confirmed the fear of her opponents. She is the persona of the opposition of this administration, she will give direction to this country.

“Taglay n'ya ang tapang at malasakit ng kanyang ama habang bitbit ang karanasan sa pagtulong sa maralita, mga nangangailangan at pinagmalupitan. Siya ang may solusyon,” she added.

(She embodies the courage and the care that her father has, while carrying the experience of helping the poor, the needy and the oppressed. She has the solution.)

Meanwhile, for Senator Risa Hontiveros, the Vice President’s declaration does not have any effects on what the united opposition is looking for for its standard-bearer in the 2028 elections.   

She also said that the opposition is expected to announce its presidential candidate for the 2028 national elections by the end of the year or early 2027.

“Ang masasabi ko lang, sa ngayon 2026, nakatutok ang mga reform-minded at opposition forces sa pagbubuo ng mas mahigpit pang pagkakaisa para pumili ng aming mga kandidato whether by end of the year or first quarter of next year,” Hontiveros said in a press conference.

(All I can say is, as of now, 2026, the reform-minded and opposition forces are focused on being more united so we could choose our candidates whether by the end of the year or the first quarter of next year.)

Sara's allies

Allies of the Duterte family in the Senate also welcomed the Vice President's announcement. 

Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go said he would fully support Duterte's decision to run for president.

"Buo po ang aming suporta sa kanyang desisyon na tumakbo. Ang sa akin lang naman dito, mabalik sa normal na pamumuhay ang bawat Pilipino," Go said in an ambush interview. 

(We fully support her decision to run. What I only want is for the life of every Filipino to go back to normal.) 

Senator Robin Padilla, meanwhile, floated the possibility of a "girl power" tandem in the 2028 national elections, teasing Senator Imee Marcos as a potential running mate of Duterte. 

Marcos refused to directly answer when asked by Senate reporters if she was open to be Duterte's runningmate, but said she just follows whatever Duterte says.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada also wished Duterte "good luck" on her presidential bid. 

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, for his part, said that he wishes Duterte well. 

"We're in a democracy. For me, the earlier na lahat ng kandidato ay mag-announce better. Bakit? Kasi mas mahihimay ng lahat. Mas bantay ang kanilang kilos. Of course, I wish her well," Cayetano said. 

(We're in a democracy. For me, the earlier all the candidates announce their candidacy, the better. Why? Because everyone's actions will be scrutinized early. Of course, I wish her well.)

Impartiality expected

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III also said senators are expected to remain impartial should the Senate convene as an impeachment court and they become senator-judges. 

"The senators are expected to be impartial always, no matter who is going to be charged or kanino mang articles of impeachment ang sumampa sa amin. We are expected to be impartial. So kahit kandidato, hindi kandidato, kahit sino pa 'yan, it doesn't matter," Sotto told reporters. 

(The senators are expected to be impartial always, no matter who is going to be charged or whose articles of impeachment will be transmitted to us. We are expected to be impartial. So even if that person is a candidate or not, no matter who h/she is, it doesn't matter.) 

Senator Erwin Tulfo also expressed belief that Duterte's declaration has no effect on the possible impeachment trial.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that as a possible senator-judge, he will only look at evidence and nothing more. 

"Iba naman ang impeachment dahil dito titignan ang mga ebidensya, titignan natin kung ano ipe-present ng prosecutors. So sa tingin ko, iba naman takbo ng impeachment pagdating sa direction. So iba ang kanyang pagdedeklara iba rin ang maipapakitang ebidensya dito," Gatchalian said.

(The impeachment is different because here, we will look at the evidence, we will look at what the prosecutors will present. So I think that the process of impeachment is different when it comes to the direction. So her announcement is different from the evidence that can be presented here.) 

Go also said that the possible impeachment trial should remain fair. 

"Dapat po fair. Ihiwalay po natin ang pulitika sa impeachment. Trabaho po namin 'yan, mandato po namin 'yan bilang senador na titignan po ang ebidensya kung meron man," he said. 

(It should be fair. Let's separate politics from impeachment. That's our job, that's our mandate as senators to look at the evidence if there is any.) —AOL/ VDV, GMA Integrated News