VP Sara to reveal election plans in 2026

Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday that she will announce her election plans in 2026 or roughly a year before the filing of the certificate of candidacy for the 2028 polls.

“Sa ngayon, this very minute, magsasabi ako kung tatakbo ako [sa 2028] sa fourth quarter ng 2026,” Duterte told reporters after she briefly attended a House committee hearing on questions on the Office of the Vice President's (OVP) use of its budget.

(This very minute, I will say I will announce if I will run by the fourth quarter of 2026.)

Duterte earlier told the House panel and in subsequent interviews with reporters that the supposed inquiry on the OVP’s budget use is a prelude to filing an impeachment complaint against her to destroy her 2028 election chances.

“Nagpa-practice sila kung ano iyong kakagat sa impeachment. Kahit anong gawin nila, wala talaga kaming ginawang mali sa Office of the Vice President. ‘Yan ang rason kung bakit ayaw pumunta nung mga taga-Office of the Vice President. At sinabi nilang, ako na lang yung ipapadala nila,” Duterte said.

(This is a practice run for impeachment. No matter what they do, we did not do anything wrong. That is precisely why the OVP personnel refused to attend here and I am representing them right now.)

“Very obvious. Very obvious ‘yung kanilang ginagawa (what they're doing),” Duterte added

The Vice President, however, did not give a categorical answer when asked if such impeachment efforts against her would prosper.

“Ah, hindi ko masabi yan. Hindi ko masabi yan na kung mag-prosper or hindi. Pag nandiyan na, sasagutin natin, then iiwan na natin sa Congress,” Duterte said.

(I cannot say whether such efforts will prosper or not. If it comes, then we’ll answer it, and we leave it up to Congress.)

Since she has refused to answer the lawmakers' questions on her office’s use of its budget, including the confidential funds, the House appropriations panel has recommended a P1.29 billion budget cut on OVP's P2 billion proposed budget for 2025. —LDF, GMA Integrated News