Sara’s Senate slate still open

Vice President Sara Duterte has yet to finalize her senatorial slate for 2028, saying discussions with potential candidates were ongoing.

In an interview, Duterte said uncertainties remained over who would eventually run in the election.

Duterte announced in February her intention to seek the presidency in 2028, following in the footsteps of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Asked about rumors surrounding the health of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Duterte declined to elaborate, saying only, “Good luck to him.”

In a separate statement marking “Araw ng Kagitingan” yesterday, Duterte warned against what she described as attempts by foreign institutions to interfere in the country’s justice system, calling such actions a direct challenge to Philippine sovereignty.

“Any attempt by foreign institutions to interfere in our justice system is a direct challenge to the freedom fought for by our heroes in Bataan,” she said, in what appeared to be an allusion to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands which has custody of her father.

Self-governance

She stressed that the Philippines is capable of administering justice under its own laws and courts.

“We are capable of governing ourselves and enforcing our laws through our own judicial system,” she said.

She also urged Filipinos to face the present-day challenges with resilience, drawing inspiration from wartime heroes.

“Like our heroes in Bataan, let us not surrender,” she said. “Let us love the Philippines — for God, for country, and for every Filipino family.”

Her remarks came as her father faces a trial before the ICC over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s anti-drug war.

The ICC will decide by 22 April if it has jurisdiction over the case, a ruling that could determine whether it will proceed to trial.

The former president’s legal team maintains the court no longer has authority over the Philippines following the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019, a position earlier rejected by the pre-trial judges.