According to Reuters, on the 19th local time, Sarah Duterte, daughter of Philippine President Duterte, was sworn in as the country's 15th vice president.
On the 19th local time, Sarah Duterte was sworn in as vice president in Davao City, southern Philippines, from the EPA-EFE/Presidential Photographer Department
Duterte joked this week that "two Dutertes" would lead the Philippines in the 11 days leading up to June 30, a remark that sparked heated discussion. However, according to the law, Sarah can not formally assume the vice presidency until June 30.
Sarah Duterte signed the document during her sworn in as vice president, pictured by The Associated Press
The inauguration was held on the birthday of the Filipino national hero Rizal
On the afternoon of June 19, local time, Sara Duterte, daughter of Philippine President Duterte, held an inauguration ceremony in San Pedro Square in her hometown of Davao City, and was sworn in as the country's 15th vice president. Under the Philippine Constitution of 1987, she will formally assume her vice presidency after noon on June 30. She will be the youngest vice president of the Philippines and will serve as secretary of education in the new administration.
At the inauguration ceremony, the current President Duterte (Sarah's father), the newly elected President Marcos Jr., and Sarah's political "godmother", former President Arroyo, appeared at the same time, causing widespread concern from all walks of life. Duterte also presided over Sarah's oath of office with Sarah's mother.
Sarah's inauguration was reportedly also the first time in nearly three years that she was in the same frame as her father.
Infographic: Duterte (left) and daughter Sarah. Image source: Philippine Presidential Palace
At the inauguration ceremony, Sarah also mentioned the Filipino national hero José Rizal and called on the people to emulate Rizal's selfless dedication and sacrifice to change the fate of the country. It is worth mentioning that rizal, a Chinese Filipino who led the people to overthrow Spanish colonial rule, was born on June 19, and the symbolic significance of Sarah's choice of this day for inauguration is self-evident.
Sarah was elected with the highest number of votes on record
Sarah, 44, ran with Marcos Jr. in the May 9 election to be the new vice president with the highest ever vote of 32.2 million. Among them, Marcos Jr. will be sworn in as president on June 30, when Duterte will leave office.
Since 2020, Philippine public opinion has generally believed that Sarah, as the daughter of President Duterte and the highly popular mayor of Davao City, should run for president, and in all polls, Sarah has always ranked first in support. But last November, Sarah unexpectedly announced her bid for vice president as the Christian Muslim Democratic Forces party, paired up with Marcos Jr., who is running for president as a federalist party. The two men's "joint team" was invincible in the ensuing campaign, with Sarah eventually elected with nearly 60 percent of the vote in the May 9 election.
Since the philippine presidential term is limited to "1 term and 6 years", who will become the next president in 2028 has become a hot topic in the political arena. While Sarah Duterte, 44, rejected calls from her father and supporters to run for president in this election, there are rumours that Sarah's determination to run for the 2028 election has been dropped.
Sarah, a former lawyer and colonel at the Philippine Army Reserve Command, entered politics in 2007 and was elected deputy mayor of Davao City, where her father Duterte was then mayor. In 2010, she succeeded her father as the first female mayor of Davao City, and in 2016 she ran for mayor again and has served as the mayor ever since.
It is worth noting that as a major political family in the Philippines, the Duterte family has many family members in important positions. In addition to Duterte and Sarah, the president's son, Sebastian Duterte, will succeed his sister as mayor of Davao City, and another son, Paolo Duterte, won the House of Representatives seat in the May 9 election. The outgoing president's late father, Vicente Duterte, was the former mayor of Davao. So far, members of the Duterte family have held the position of mayor of Davao for more than three decades.
Three generations of the Duterte family. Vicente Duterte (top left), Rodrigo Duterte (top right), Sarah Duterte (bottom left) and Sebastian Duterte (bottom right)
According to the Los Angeles Times, elections in the Philippines have long been dominated by politicians of the same blood. Despite constitutional prohibitions, at least 250 political families across the country have monopolies on power. The Philippine Congress, long controlled by powerful clan members targeted by constitutional bans, has been unable to pass the laws needed to define and enforce the provision.
Marcos Jr. and Sarah's "Joint Team"
At the inauguration, Senator Amy Marcos, the sister of newly elected President Marcos Jr., said the Duterte family "can always count on our (Marcos family)'s support" and that Davao City and Mindanao will "always be our priority" and "will be the same as it was when my father was alive." Marcos Jr. also said he believes Sarah can do a good job of serving the people as vice president.
Under Philippine law, presidents and vice presidents run separately, from different political parties, and historically most presidents and vice presidents eventually become political opponents, and relations during office are also very rigid. But Sarah's situation was different, as she formed a "joint team" with Marcos Jr. last November, and both were eventually elected with nearly 60% of the vote in the May 9 general election.
Marcos Jr. and Sarah Duterte, courtesy of the US Media Daily Tribune
Newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was born in 1957 and is the only son of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, Imelda. In addition to the attention caused by the cooperation of the "joint team", the relationship between the two can be traced back to their fathers.
In the 1960s and 1980s, sarah's father Duterte was one of his supporters during the reign of Marcos Sr.
Historically, the elder Marcos was accused of embezzling $10 billion from the government and then fled to Hawaii. In 1986, "People Power" protests broke out in the Philippines, overthrowing the Marcos regime. Shortly after the death of The Elder Marcos in 1989, the Marcos family returned to the Philippines.
It is reported that Marcos Jr. partnered with Duterte in the 2016 general election to run as a vice presidential candidate, but was unsuccessfully elected. After Duterte became president in June 2016, he ignored opposition protests and welcomed the remains of the old Marcos who died in the United States back to Manila and buried them in the Cemetery of National Heroes.
Marcos Jr. has been "downplaying" the scandals of his father's reign, opposing allegations of corruption. During the presidential campaign, he portrayed himself as a "man who bridged divisions" and shaped his father's reign as a "golden age" in Philippine history.
Earlier, Marcos Jr. had announced sarah's nomination as minister of education. According to the Philippine News Television (GMA) reported on the 20th, Sarah said that she will gather three major education challenges, namely the impact of the new crown epidemic on education, the full resumption of offline courses, and the reform of the twelve-year free education system.
The current Philippine textbooks describe the old Marcos era as negative, criticizing its "corruption" and "dictatorship". As for how this "history" will be handled in the education system, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Monday that the 18th Congress recently passed a resolution establishing the Second Congressional Committee on Education (EDCOM II), which is tasked with conducting a comprehensive assessment of the education system. "The history of the old Marcos era should also be part of the review of assessments ... If Vice President-designate Sarah considers, I strongly recommend that the Executive Branch be substantively involved in this process. Delaron said.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.