Vice President Sara rejects tag as opposition leader

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte disagreed with claims that she is now the leader of the opposition against the Marcos administration.

Her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile said he would not run for a Senate seat in the May 2025 midterm elections, contrary to Sara’s June 25 announcement.

“Based on my work, my character and my principles, I don’t act for the benefit of the administration, or the opposition, or for politics,” the Vice President told reporters on Saturday in Cebu City.

“I work based on whatever is beneficial to the people, and whatever is rightful to (them),” she added.

The Vice President earlier resigned as education secretary and co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

The UniTeam alliance, she said, was a tandem formed only for the 2022 elections.

The Liberal Party has also rejected the idea of Duterte becoming an opposition leader. The LP will field its own senatorial slate in the 2025 midterm elections.

Duterte said she remains focused on her remaining two weeks as outgoing education secretary, stressing that her mind has not yet taken focus on politics.

Last Tuesday, Duterte said that the former president, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte intend to run for the Senate in 2025. 

Sebastian would run for president in 2028.

“You believed Inday? She made a fool out of you. Where can you see a father and his two sons in the Senate?” the former president said yesterday at a press conference in Tacloban City.

“I will not return to politics. I’m done. I’m old. I don’t have money to spend. Yabang lang meron ako,” he added.

Filipinos should not believe the Vice President because “she is just like me, but I have mellowed down since I’m old,” Duterte said.

As for former senator Leila de Lima, Duterte said he respects the court’s decision to acquit her in her last drug case.

After her acquittal, De Lima warned Duterte that he would “pay for his crimes.”

Duterte reiterated that the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

The Vice President spoke of plans to build a senatorial slate for the 2025 polls,