Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte Announces Presidential Bid
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announced on Wednesday (18 February) local time that she will stand as a presidential candidate in the presidential election scheduled for 2028.
Sara, who has been embroiled in a bitter feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was impeached from the vice presidency last year, but the Philippine Supreme Court subsequently overturned the impeachment on procedural grounds.
In her candidacy announcement, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (18 February 2026), Sara attacked the track record of Marcos Jr, who has been in office since 2022.
"I offer my life, my strength, and my future to serve our country," Sara said in a brief speech on Wednesday.
"I am Sara Duterte. I will run for President of the Philippines," she declared.
Sara, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, accused Marcos Jr of corrupt practices and of failing to honour promises made during the short-lived alliance that swept them both to a landslide victory in the 2022 presidential election.
"In the first few months of our term, I already saw the lack of sincerity of Bongbong Marcos Jr regarding the promises he made during the campaign, as well as his oath of loyalty to the country," Sara said, using Marcos Jr's nickname.
The feud between the Duterte and Marcos clans, which began heating up just weeks after their election victory, erupted into open public warfare throughout 2025.
The presidential candidacy announcement came just days before her father, Duterte, is due to begin pre-trial hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the brutal crackdown on drugs in the Philippines.
The hearing, which will address the confirmation of charges, is set to last four days and will determine whether there is sufficient evidence against Duterte to proceed to a full trial.
Meanwhile, Sara has once again faced impeachment efforts in recent weeks, with members of the Philippine clergy filing an impeachment complaint against her on 9 February — one of three impeachment complaints filed within a matter of days.
Under the Philippine Constitution, a public impeachment complaint triggers a trial in the Senate. A guilty verdict from the Senate would bar Sara from politics and rule her out as a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
Sara, who has been embroiled in a bitter feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was impeached from the vice presidency last year, but the Philippine Supreme Court subsequently overturned the impeachment on procedural grounds.
In her candidacy announcement, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (18 February 2026), Sara attacked the track record of Marcos Jr, who has been in office since 2022.
"I offer my life, my strength, and my future to serve our country," Sara said in a brief speech on Wednesday.
"I am Sara Duterte. I will run for President of the Philippines," she declared.
Sara, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, accused Marcos Jr of corrupt practices and of failing to honour promises made during the short-lived alliance that swept them both to a landslide victory in the 2022 presidential election.
"In the first few months of our term, I already saw the lack of sincerity of Bongbong Marcos Jr regarding the promises he made during the campaign, as well as his oath of loyalty to the country," Sara said, using Marcos Jr's nickname.
The feud between the Duterte and Marcos clans, which began heating up just weeks after their election victory, erupted into open public warfare throughout 2025.
The presidential candidacy announcement came just days before her father, Duterte, is due to begin pre-trial hearings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, over allegations of crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the brutal crackdown on drugs in the Philippines.
The hearing, which will address the confirmation of charges, is set to last four days and will determine whether there is sufficient evidence against Duterte to proceed to a full trial.
Meanwhile, Sara has once again faced impeachment efforts in recent weeks, with members of the Philippine clergy filing an impeachment complaint against her on 9 February — one of three impeachment complaints filed within a matter of days.
Under the Philippine Constitution, a public impeachment complaint triggers a trial in the Senate. A guilty verdict from the Senate would bar Sara from politics and rule her out as a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election.