Vice President Sara Duterte declared her candidacy for president in the 2028 elections on February 18, 2026, amid four impeachment complaints against her. The announcement followed the spread of a fake AI-generated survey showing her leading with 60% support. Experts say it is a strategy to influence politicians amid her family's ICC issues.
On February 18, 2026, Vice President Sara Duterte announced her run for president in the 2028 elections in a speech streamed on her Facebook page. This came days after a social media post on February 15 showed a fake presidential survey from Naga City, with Duterte at 60% support, followed by Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo. The image was detected as 100% AI-generated using Google Gemini by tools like Decopy AI and Sight Engine, featuring inconsistencies such as mismatched bar graph heights.
Real surveys indicate lower support for Duterte. The WR Numero survey in November 2025 gave her 33.3% preference, followed by Senator Raffy Tulfo at 13.4% and Robredo at 13%. Similarly, the Oculum Research survey in 2024 showed 25.4% for Duterte, 18.5% for Tulfo, and 10.6% for Robredo. This aligns with earlier Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations polls.
Duterte's announcement occurred amid the fourth impeachment complaint against her, now transmitted to House Speaker Faustino Dy III. The complaints allege unexplained wealth, omissions in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), and cash movements from confidential funds, according to endorsers Representatives Paolo Ortega and Benny Abante. Additionally, her alleged admission of speaking to someone willing to kill President Marcos is cited as an impeachable offense by Representative Lorenz Defensor.
According to University of the Philippines-Diliman professor Jean Encinas-Franco, the early declaration stems from issues like International Criminal Court charges against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and potential arrests of allies Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go. It serves to pressure Congress and secure political support. Duterte apologized for backing Marcos in the 2022 elections but did not take questions afterward.
