(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte announced she would run for president in 2028.
"Ako si Sara Duterte, tatakbo sa 2028 Elections (I am Sara Duterte. I will run in the 2028 elections)."
Duterte said that she wanted to bring back the "Tapang at Malasakit" or "Courage and Compassion" brand of leadership of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.
She said that in the first months of her term, she saw the lack of honesty in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in realizing his promises in 2022.
"Dahil hindi ko kinayang maging bahagi ng 2025 national budget na tadtad ng katiwalian, pinili kong umalis sa gabinete—kahit na alam ko na, mula pa noong 2023, na ang magiging kapalit nito ay ang aking impeachment. (Because I did not want to be part of the 2025 national budget that is riddled with corruption, I left the Cabinet, even though I have known, since as far back as 2023, that the consequence of this would be my impeachment)," Duterte said.
Duterte, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with Marcos, was impeached last year only to see the country's Supreme Court throw the case out over procedural issues.
"I offer my life, my strength, and my future in the service of our nation," she said in announcing her candidacy.
"I am Sara Duterte. I will run for president of the Philippines."
The feud between the Duterte and Marcos clans, simmering within weeks of their election victory, exploded into public warfare in 2025.
Wednesday's announcement comes just days before Rodrigo Duterte begins a pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands over crimes against humanity allegedly committed as part of brutal crackdowns on drug use.
The so-called confirmation of charges hearing, taking place over four days, will determine whether there is enough evidence against Duterte to proceed to a trial.
A pair of impeachment complaints against arch-foe Marcos were tossed out days earlier by the House of Representatives justice committee, which said the case lacked the necessary substance.
Members of the Philippine clergy filed an impeachment complaint on Feb. 9 against Duterte, the third to hit the vice president in just over a week.
Under the Philippine Constitution, an impeachment triggers a Senate trial. A guilty verdict would see Duterte barred from politics and sidelined from a potential 2028 presidential run.
But Marcos is facing his own headwinds, with the Southeast Asian country still roiling over a scandal involving bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
Marcos has seen friend and foe alike, including a congressman cousin, swept up in the political firestorm since he first put the issue centre stage in a July national address.