Kirsten Gale Mendoza

Despite leading recent voter preference surveys, Vice President Sara Duterte has not yet committed to a possible 2028 presidential run.

Photos Courtesy of Inquirer/Philippine News Agency.

“The 2028 elections are still far off and there will be many more surveys before then,” she told reporters during the inauguration of new local officials in the Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos) on June 27.

Despite her collected manner, the vice president has been in the headlines frequently in recent months with her increasing political pressure, given that the House of Representatives is presently considering two impeachment petitions against Duterte, which claim constitutional violations, suspicious spending, and abuse of power.

However, Sara Duterte still admitted that she is seriously considering a national role, possibly as president, amid the controversies during an exclusive News5 interview at a private event in Panabo, Davao del Norte, on February 1.

In an interview with Russian Today (RT), a Russian state-run media outlet, Duterte even fueled speculation about internal conflicts over power in which she accused the Marcos administration of trying to power takeover and hinted that a close relative of President Marcos is thinking about running for president.

The situation escalated last March 11, when her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport after returning from a political rally in Hong Kong to which The Philippine authorities arrested him on charges of crimes against humanity related to his 2011–2019 “war on drugs,” as ordered by the ICC on an Interpol arrest warrant.

Vice President Duterte has connected the incident to a broader political conspiracy to undermine her chances of winning in 2028, claiming that both her father's incarceration and her legal troubles are part of the same plan.

Meanwhile, Duterte has made the decision to remain committed to her current duties. 

She said that fulfilling her responsibilities as vice president remains her top priority and thanked the public for their continued support. 

Whether she wanted to or not, Vice President Duterte remains at the center of a political foundation being built, even though the 2028 elections are still three years away.