Duterte’s daughter Sara sworn in early as vice-president of Philippines in show of independence
- Sara Duterte-Carpio’s six-year term with President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jnr does not officially start until June 30, when he will be inaugurated
- Marcos Jnr, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and current leader President Rodrigo Duterte were all present at event attended by thousands
Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was sworn in as the country’s 15th vice-president on Sunday, calling for national unity following a divisive election campaign.
“The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation,” she said in an inauguration address attended by thousands in her hometown of Davao, on the southern island of Mindanao.
She took the oath of office with her parents standing next to her, breaking with tradition where the two top leaders hold their inaugurations on the day they assume office.
The vice president-elect has said she opted to be sworn in early so that her city can witness the ceremony.
Marcos Jnr and former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were present at the event.
Marcos, the son and namesake of the disgraced dictator driven from power in a 1986 uprising, also took part in the inauguration ceremony attended by Duterte-Carpio’s relatives, allies and supporters.
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They forged a crucial alliance and ran on a message of unity that also helped many allies win seats in the legislature and local government positions.
Like her father, Duterte-Carpio trained as a lawyer before entering politics in 2007 when she was voted in as her father’s vice mayor in Davao, 1,000km (600 miles) from the capital Manila.
She had initially wanted to be a doctor but instead pursued her political career and in 2010 succeeded her father to become the first female mayor of Davao.
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“If we all take a moment to listen to the call to serve and decide to heed the call ... I believe the country will be heading toward a future of hope, security, strength, stability, and progress,” said Duterte-Carpio, who will also serve as Marcos’ education secretary.
She said poverty, drugs and misinformation are among challenges the nation faces.
Duterte’s decision to hold her own inauguration shows she is “treading her own path” when it comes to her father and Marcos, said Ramon Beleno, a faculty member at Ateneo de Davao University’s political science department.
“The spotlight is on her, unlike in a joint inauguration where the highlight is the president,” he said. She is also trying to maintain her connections in the southern Mindanao island and “form her own niche” by taking her oath there, Beleno said.
