Vice President Sara Duterte reassured her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, that he would have the chance to see and greet his supporters who gathered outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) during his first appearance before the tribunal.
“Darating din tayo diyan. Pero sa ngayon, ibigay mo muna sa akin ang mensahe mo para sa kanila,” Sara told their family’s supporters, quoting her father, whom she was allowed to meet only after the pre-trial meeting on March 14.
“We will reach that point. But for now, just give me your message for them.”
Sara then relayed her father’s words to the crowd:
“Sabi niya, ‘Relax lang, may hangganan ang lahat. A day of reckoning will come.’”
“He said, ‘Just relax, everything has an end.’”
Taking a Stand: ‘I Am the Vice President’
During her speech before a largely Filipino audience, Sara took a veiled swipe at the current administration when asked about feelings of betrayal.
“Ang pinakamabuti na gawin natin is moving forward. Hindi na tayo puwedeng bumalik at bawiin ‘yung boto natin. Pero moving forward … [ang] lagi kong sinasabi, ‘Huwag ibenta ang boto.’”
“The best thing we can do is move forward. We can no longer go back and take back our vote. But moving forward, what I always say is, ‘Do not sell your vote.’”
Reflecting on her political choices, Sara mentioned that had she pursued her initial plan to run for Davao City mayor in 2022, she would not have held a national position. She suggested that the “pinks and yellows” would have continued their push to file cases against her father before the ICC.
She then emphasized her position in government:
“Pero Vice President ako, ‘yan ang malaki nilang problema ngayon, dahil kailangan nila akong alisin sa puwesto para magawa nila ang kagustuhan nilang huwag nang bumaba sa puwesto.”
“But I am the Vice President. That is their biggest problem now because they have to remove me from my post to fulfill their wish to stay in power.”
Future Plans: ‘Do We Still Have a Country by 2028?’
When asked about her political plans for the 2028 elections, Sara responded with a pointed question of her own:
“Do we still have a country by 2028?”
She expressed concern about the nation’s trajectory, saying:
“The way we are moving now is palubog na tayo nang palubog. Pero maniwala lang kayo sa Diyos dahil makikita niyong ang lahat ng bagay ay may purpose.”
“The way we are moving now, we are sinking further and further. But just trust God, because you will see that everything has a purpose.”
On Her Father’s ICC Case
GMA Integrated News asked Sara what she believed could be the purpose of her father’s ICC trial and what it might mean for her personally.
“I have not reflected on it yet. It is his life. I think he should be the one to sit down and think, ‘What is my takeaway? How can I move forward and learn from this experience?’”
She also spoke about how her experiences—from a past trip to Hong Kong to a kidnapping case in Manila, and now following Duterte to The Hague—have shaped her resilience.
“I was always giving solutions to the problems that came up along the way. So, [they] made me more resilient, and I think it’s preparing me for something bigger than what is happening right now.”
Sara Duterte’s remarks reflect both defiance and uncertainty as she stands by her father while hinting at her own evolving political future.