Vice President Sara Duterte. Screengrab from Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday refrained from commenting on a recent survey for the 2028 presidential elections, where she emerged as the frontrunner, saying it is still too early to discuss the matter as the polls are three years away.
In a chance interview in Samal, Duterte was asked to react to the latest nationwide survey by research firm Tangere, which showed her and Senator Bong Go as the early front-runners for the 2028 presidential and vice presidential races, respectively.
READ: Impeached VP Duterte still ‘seriously considering’ running in 2028 polls
“I was surprised by you. Can we just not talk about surveys for now, since 2028 is still too far away?,” she responded in Bisaya.
“2028 is still really far off, and there will be many more surveys to come. But I’m truly grateful for the continued trust of the public in the Office of the Vice President, in me, and my colleagues in the office,” Duterte added.
This refusal to comment on the survey results was a slight contradiction to Duterte’s interview with Russian media, where she linked the impeachment case filed against her to the 2028 presidential elections.
In the interview, Duterte said, “I am the frontrunner in the presidential race in 2028.”
Strategy to stay in power
READ: Sara Duterte still mum on 2028 election plans: ‘I might get killed’
The Vice President claimed that the impeachment case was part of a strategy to keep President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in power.
“It’s all about the refusal or the intent of President Marcos. It is the intent of President Marcos not to step down. He wants to perpetuate himself or his family in power. It is clear from the moves of his administration against political opponents,” she said.
“The survey shows that. And I think they want to eliminate the frontrunner… They think that if they take out former President Duterte, they will weaken me because it’s one brand, it’s one family,” she also said.
Malacañang, however, offered a different take.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro dismissed Duterte’s remarks as a mere “diversionary tactic.”
“Perhaps that is the narrative she wants to present to the public, but it diverts attention from the issue of her accountability regarding the confidential funds and the various other complaints included in the articles of impeachment. I think we also want to know the truth, and not have her hide behind the narrative that she is the frontrunner for the 2028 presidential election,” Castro said in Filipino.
“As we’ve said, if you’re a government official and a public servant, it’s your obligation to be transparent and to answer any issues you’re involved in. So, we expect that from VP Sara, because this really seems like a diversionary tactic,” she added. /mr