| Campaign | 2028 Philippine presidential election |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Sara Duterte Vice President of the Philippines (since 2022) Mayor of Davao City (2010–2013; 2016–2022) Vice Mayor of Davao City (2013–2016) |
| Affiliation | Hugpong ng Pagbabago |
| Status | Announced: February 18, 2026 |
| Slogan(s) | Ibalik ang Tapang at Malasakit [1] (transl. Bring back courage and compassion) |
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Incumbent Early political career
Political campaigns Positions
Family
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Sara Duterte, the 15th and incumbent vice president of the Philippines, announced her candidacy for the 2028 Philippine presidential election on February 18, 2026. [2] Her campaign is expected to formally begin by late 2027 after the filing of certificates of candidacy.
Duterte is the first candidate to officially declare their bid for the presidency in the 2028 elections.
Sara Duterte is the incumbent vice president of the Philippines and the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte. She took part at the 2022 election as Bongbong Marcos' vice presidential candidate under the UniTeam electoral alliance. [3] [4]
The alliance between Marcos and the younger Duterte began to deteriorate. In May 2023, Duterte left the Lakas–CMD party of Marcos' cousin and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez. [5] Duterte resigned from her position as secretary of the Department of Education and vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in June 2024. [4] [6] In November 2024, Duterte threatened Marcos stating she has hired an assassin to kill the president in the event that she were to be killed. [7] The Marcos administration allowed the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte to face charges in the International Criminal Court (ICC). [3]
Duterte was impeached in February 5, 2025 by the House of Representatives. However the Supreme Court released a ruling in July 2025 which halted the trial which prevented Duterte's removal from office. [5]
In February 2026, Duterte is facing new impeachment complaints after the one-year ban provision lapsed. [5]
Duterte has been facing allegations for misuse of her confidential funds (CF), non-declaration of all her assets, abuse of power, bribery of officials, and for her threats against the lives of President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Romualdez. [5]
A guilty verdict by the Senate acting as an impeachment court will disqualify Sara Duterte from running for office. Marcos himself is ineligible for re-election as the president is constitutionally limited to serve a single six-year term. [8]
Duterte officially announced her candidacy for president in a press conference at the headquarters of the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong on February 18, 2026. [9]
Senator Robin Padilla has proposed his colleague Imee Marcos to be Duterte's vice presidential candidate for 2028. Imee Marcos in response stated that Duterte has always been her "running mate". On February 21, 2026, Duterte said in an inteview with Vox Populi that she already chose her running mate last year but won't reveal their name yet. [10] [11]