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The Philippines
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Philippine VP Sara Duterte to ‘go full force on the offensive’ after break from Marcos Jnr

  • She is expected to field her own congressional candidates to challenge Marcos-backed politicians in next year’s midterm elections

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Philippine Vice-president Sara Duterte (centre) takes a selfie with her supporters during a January rally in Manila. Photo: EPA-EFE
Bloomberg
Weeks ago, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was speaking of his deputy, Vice-President Sara Duterte, in glowing terms. With Duterte resigning from his cabinet this week, the president’s “best friend forever” is set to become his most formidable challenger just two years into his six-year term.
Duterte’s move isn’t unexpected, coming after months of increasingly fractious disagreements between the nation’s two most influential political families, according to politicians and analysts. While the move is unlikely to have any major policy implications, and markets seem largely unaffected, it marks a turning point for the former allies. And it sets up a showdown in next year’s midterm elections, and even the 2028 presidential vote.

Free from a cabinet portfolio, Sara will most likely use her time to consolidate her support while aiming to field her own congressional candidates to challenge Marcos-backed politicians, according to Ramon Beleno, a political analyst and former professor from Davao City, the Dutertes’ bailiwick.

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A decent showing in the midterms would strengthen the chances for Sara – daughter of former leader Rodrigo Duterte – taking the presidency in 2028, Beleno said. “The Dutertes will try to retake the momentum and go full force on the offensive,” he said.

The vice-president is set to pose a significant political challenge to Marcos, with surveys showing that Sara is more popular than the president – while also being among voters’ top choices to succeed Marcos when his single term ends in 2028.

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The Duterte clan also holds considerable sway in the politically important southern island of Mindanao, where Marcos’ trust rating fell significantly amid a public spat with his predecessor when they traded barbs about each other’s drug use.

Still, Marcos enjoys many of the advantages that come with the presidency, giving him an edge in next year’s vote, according to Sherwin Ona, an associate professor of political science at De La Salle University in Manila.

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