Sara Duterte stakes early claim to 2028 presidency as family legal battles intensify

Sara Duterte has formally entered the race for the Philippines’ 2028 presidential election, framing the decision as both a personal reckoning and a political commitment at a moment when her family’s influence is under sustained legal and institutional pressure.

“It took me 47 years to understand that my life was never meant to be only mine,” she said in a livestreamed address that blended biography with campaign launch.

The announcement places her directly on the path once taken by her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where judges are moving toward confirming charges of crimes against humanity tied to his anti-drug campaign from 2016 to 2022.

Sara Duterte presented her candidacy as a response to a long period of hesitation over the obligations attached to her name and position. “For a long time, I questioned the weight of responsibility to my family, to my country, to everyone who called on me,” she said.

“I am Sara Duterte, and I am running for president in the Philippines.”

Her speech also addressed a political rupture that has reshaped the country’s power map since the last election. Five years ago she backed Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s presidential bid; today the two are entrenched rivals. She asked supporters for their “forgiveness” for that alliance, while describing a country struggling with corruption, poverty and rising living costs.

“I cannot kneel before each and every Filipino to beg for forgiveness. Instead, I offer my life, my strength, and my future in the service of our nation,” she said.

The deterioration of the Duterte–Marcos partnership has been gradual but decisive. A corruption inquiry launched in 2024 into the vice president’s use of government funds opened the first formal breach. It deepened when Marcos authorised the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte by Philippine police and Interpol acting on behalf of the ICC — a move that transformed political competition into an openly adversarial relationship.

The timing of the presidential bid is inseparable from that context. Sara Duterte faces multiple impeachment complaints in the House of Representatives over corruption allegations and a reported death threat against the president, while her father’s case in The Hague approaches a critical procedural stage.

Against that backdrop, the campaign launch functions on two levels. Publicly, it positions Sara Duterte as a national candidate addressing economic hardship and governance failures. Internally, it signals continuity to a political network navigating simultaneous legal and institutional challenges.