Vice President Sara Duterte said the one that she’s recruiting to be her successor will take charge of making wrongdoers in government accountable, “so I can focus on my job as president.”

Vice President Sara Duterte announces her intention to run for president in the 2028 general elections at a press conference in Mandaluyong City on Feb. 18, 2026. Photo by Miguel de Guzman, The Philippine STAR

Days after declaring her intention to run for president in 2028, Vice President Sara Duterte said she has chosen her potential running mate whose main task, if elect-ed, would be to exact accountability from corrupt officials in government.

But Duterte declined to identify her hand-picked running mate as nothing is final yet.

“I have already recruited someone. I have been recruiting the person since last year. But let us not discuss that right now,” Duterte said in an interview over SMNI on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Asked if she would be “vengeful” if elected president, Duterte said “it is not in my nature to be vengeful.”

She maintained that she did not get back at her attackers when she ran for mayor of Davao City, and that she did not remove the personnel hired by her predecessor as vice president, now Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo.

“It’s not in the history of my work to take revenge. But I’m telling you this – there can’t be anyone spared from accountability. The one that I’m recruiting to be vice president will take charge of making wrongdoers in government accountable, so I can focus on my job as president,” she said in Filipino.

Duterte also clarified that her announcement of her intention to run for president last Feb. 18 was her own decision, known only to her speechwriter who had to check the Tagalog part of her speech, as well as to her husband and children.

Her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, was only made aware of her decision last Friday, Feb. 20, by his lawyer.

She said she told her mother Elizabeth Zimmerman about her decision, but only to inform her and not to seek permission. Even her siblings had no prior knowledge of her plans, she said.

The Vice President said that when she last visited her father in the detention at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, they only talked about the local politics in Davao City.

On her father’s admonition that a woman is not fit to be president, Duterte stressed that gender has nothing to do with one’s fitness to take on the challenges of the position.

Furthermore, she emphasized that her decision was not based on surveys but on the fruits of her interactions with people across the country who would tell her, “lumaban ka (fight).”

She said she was only giving in to the desire of the people in her decision to run for president, and cited Proverbs 19 verse 21 of the Old Testament: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

‘Edge’ over rivals

As the first to throw the proverbial hat in the ring, Duterte disclosed what she believes is her “edge” over rivals in the presidential race.

“I can do difficult things – that is my core competency, because I don’t get cowed easily… Nobody can force me to do things,” she said.

Duterte said she can easily fend off attacks from the Marcos administration and its allies in Congress, including four impeachment cases filed against her.

No resignation to avoid ouster

She also made it clear she is not considering resigning as vice president, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her 32 million voters in 2022.

“I will not resign. If there is an impeachment, have me impeached,” she added.

She, however, admitted her limitations, saying there’s no way she would be able to solve the country’s problems in six years.

“To turn the country around, you would need 30 years. There should be a long-term continuity… If you would work non-stop it would take 25 years,” she said.

What she wants to achieve, she maintained, is to ease the poverty problem, and change the attitude of indifference among Filipinos to the issue of corruption.

If she gets elected president, she said she would want to continue the campaign against insurgency, adding her father’s administration had almost stamped out the problem.

Meanwhile, Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said the Vice President will have a hard time beating her predecessor Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo in the event they slug it out in the May 2028 presidential race.

“Is there any corruption-related complaint against Leni? Compared to the VP now? That is where the voters should see. We’re not talking about personalities here. The core issue here is: The President should be morally upright and totally clean,” Abante said.

“There should also be a track record that can be offered for the good of the country that will make the Philippines become better in terms of the economy, along with its accompanying positive results,” he added.

“Sara Duterte might be winnable, but she is not unbeatable. If people will believe that Duterte is unbeatable, I really don’t think so. And I expect to have more substantial changes as we go along and move forward towards 2028,” Abante, House committee on human rights chairman, said.

Integrity check

He urged voters to check candidates’ integrity and accountability first before assessing personalities and popularity, noting that Duterte pales in comparison to Robredo because she has been hounded by serious issues of corruption.

While Robredo and Duterte may appear to share similarities in their political resumés, track record should still be the crucial factor voters should consider, Abante said.

“Both have been local chief executives in their own turf, and both have been elected and served as VPs. But the bottom line here is track record – what’s the track record of Leni? Of Sara?”

But for former congresswoman Bernadette Herrera of Bagong Henerasyon party-list, Duterte’s early announcement of her political plans would be helpful to her.

“I welcome and support the VP’s announcement of her intention to run in the 2028 presidential elections. For many months, the Filipino people have lived with speculation about the country’s future leadership,” she said.

“By making her plans clear, VP Duterte has provided the public a sense of certainty and direction – something our people value in these uncertain times,” Herrera added.

“Regardless of political affiliations, what matters most is that our citizens are given the opportunity to openly consider their choices and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. I appreciate the VP for placing clarity before politics,” she said. – With Edith Regalado