Sara says she  won’t endorse bets in ’25 polls

Vice President Sara Duterte —Inquirer photo/Lyn Rillon

BACOLOD CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte will not be endorsing any candidate—whether local or national—for the 2025 elections.

“As of this moment, it is my personal decision not to endorse any local or national candidates because my experience in the last election in 2022 was not good,” she said in a press conference at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) satellite office in Bacolod City on Monday.

“Given that some people follow what I say, I have hesitation now to say again whom they should vote for,” she added.

READ: Duterte reiterates apology to KJC for endorsing Marcos in 2022 polls

Duterte was responding to a question on whether she would support former Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who is running against Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez for congressman of Bacolod.

She said voters should choose candidates based on what they had done and not just on the endorsement of a popular personality.

Although she did not mention names, Duterte had previously said she regretted endorsing Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 presidential election and apologized to members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ for asking them to support him.

Duterte had a falling out with her erstwhile running mate in the wake of allegations of misuse of her confidential funds, which the Vice President vehemently denied.

The Vice President said the OVP satellite offices would continue to operate until Dec. 31 but their fate is unknown pending the approval of next year’s budget.

The House of Representatives earlier recommended cutting the OVP’s budget by P1.3 billion, or to P733 million from P2.037 billion. The Senate has adopted the House version but it will still be subjected to further review by the bicameral conference committee.

‘Politically motivated’

Duterte has called the House probe into the OVP’s alleged mishandling of public funds that led to the citing of four of her staff members for contempt and the order for their arrest on Nov. 11 as “politically motivated.”

“They have no evidence of wrongdoing. They are attempting to find fault through the hearings. They are working to destroy the integrity of the Office of the Vice President and its ordinary employees,” she said. She added that she has no problem being under fire but lamented: “What hurts me is when they destroy ordinary people who are just doing their jobs.”

The latest Pulse Asia survey showed that Duterte’s trust rating dropped to 61 percent in September from 71 percent in June. The survey period was from Sept. 16 to 13, at the height of House briefings on the OVP’s budget. Her approval rating likewise dropped to 60 percent from 69 percent, although she still had the highest trust and approval ratings among the country’s top four national leaders.

Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had earlier advised her to leave politics but the Vice President said she was answerable to the 32.2 million people who gave their trust and confidence in her and voted her into office.