Sara renews call for national unity

VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday renewed her call for unity among Filipinos through the exercise of the right to suffrage as she cast her vote for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

Duterte, who voted at Precinct No. 841 of Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Barangay Matina Crossing, Davao City shortly before 9 a.m., joined calls for clean, honest, orderly, and peaceful elections as she reminded the public that voting gives the people the opportunity to contribute to nation-building.

“Ipakita natin ang ating pagkakaisa bilang isang bansa sa pamamagitan ng pagboto (Let’s show our unity as one nation by voting),” the Vice President said in a Facebook post.

Duterte, who is the concurrent secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), said she was monitoring the schools that were used as polling precincts for the BSKE.

“Ang halalan ay isang natatanging proseso na kung saan lahat ng Pilipino, anuman ang estado sa buhay, ay nabibigyan ng pagkakataong makapag-ambag para sa bayan sa pamamagitan ng pagpili ng karapat-dapat na mamuno sa ating lipunan. Ipakita natin ang ating pagkakaisa bilang isang bansa sa pamamagitan ng pagboto (The election is a special process in which all Filipinos, regardless of social status, are given the opportunity to contribute to nation-building by choosing the right people to lead in our society),” she said.
Duterte also reminded the public of the important role of barangay officials in public service at the grassroots level.

“Mahalaga ang papel na ginagampanan ng ating mga opisyal sa barangay sapagkat sila ang nasa unang antas ng pamamahala sa gobyerno na maaring magbigay tulong at solusyon sa mga problemang kinakaharap natin sa community level. Ang kanilang integridad at dedikasyon sa paglilingkod ay kailangan nating suriin at tukuyin (The role of our barangay officials is important because they are at the ones at the first level of governance who can provide help and solutions to the problems that we face at the community level. We should assess and determine their integrity and dedication to service),” she said.

Meanwhile, her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, failed to cast his vote in the