Ben Madilynn
Davao City Third District Representative Isidro Ungab, who is a member of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), confirmed to SunStar Davao during the 75th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Monday evening, September 16, that the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte will finish the remaining years of her term as vice president.
“She has [a] fixed term until 2028 sa pagkabise presidente. I don’t think she will do that [to resign],” Ungab said, adding that she was an elected official.
The Dabawenyo lawmaker said Duterte is not the type who will be weakened amid the criticisms and attacks against her.
“Personally I know her. Wala sa iyang bokabularyo ang mu-give up sa mga challenges,” Ungab said.
The vice president revealed in a previous interview that her siblings, Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, are planning to run for senate in the 2025 elections.
She said her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, wanted her to return to Davao City and replace Sebastian.
The mayor denied that he had plans to run for Senate, citing that his family is in the city and that the job would be a handful.
In a July 2024 report, Duterte clarified that she is not considering stepping down as the country’s second-highest official amid her resignation as a member of the Cabinet of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in June this year.
Meanwhile, Duterte is facing challenges as her office’s proposed P2-billion budget for 2025 is on the brink of getting slashed, or worse “defunded”, after refusing to answer the questions from members of the House Committee on Appropriations. Although she already said her office is ready to continue working without a budget allocation from the National Government. RGL
