Philippines ‘leader of the opposition’ Sara Duterte emerges in ex-Marcos ally’s pivot

The Philippine VP’s cabinet exit has fuelled rumours she’ll take a run at the top job in 2028 – much to the actual opposition’s chagrin

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Sara Duterte-Carpio is proclaimed winner of the 2022 vice-presidential race. Her cheerleaders claim she’s poised to become the Philippines’ new opposition chief. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:00pm, 24 Jun 2024Updated: 2:14pm, 24 Jun 2024

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio appears to be gearing up to challenge her former ally and current boss Ferdinand Marcos Jnr as the face of the opposition following her resignation from the cabinet.

The daughter of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte looks poised to drive the final nail into the coffin of the “Uniteam” alliance she formed with Marcos to win the 2022 election, capping months of speculation about strained ties between the country’s two most powerful political clans.

Former Duterte spokesman Harry Roque welcomed Duterte-Carpio’s resignation as education secretary, proclaiming in a Facebook post on Wednesday she had “just become the leader of the opposition” and declaring that the Duterte-Marcos Uniteam had “formally been dissolved”.

But her progress could be impeded by previous controversies, including allegations surrounding her past use of public funds and her silence on maritime tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea, according to Sherwin Ona, an associate professor of political science at De La Salle University in Manila.

“It remains to be seen if she can fashion herself as one [an opposition figure] given her political baggage,” he said, citing “her pro-Beijing stance”, “allegations of corruption related to intelligence funds” and the pending International Criminal Court case against her father’s deadly war on drugs.

Duterte-Carpio greets her father, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, during her inauguration as vice-president in June 2022 Photo: Presidential Photographers Division/Handout via EPA-EFE

With the vice-president’s exit from the cabinet, observers expect the Duterte camp to intensify its rhetorical attacks on Marcos via accusations of prioritising the South China Sea dispute over addressing economic hardships, and personal criticisms focused on the president’s alleged drug use.

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