Vice President Sara Duterte announced on February 18, 2026, that she will run for president in the 2028 elections, amid corruption allegations and new impeachment proceedings against her. She highlighted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s failure to fulfill campaign promises, while the united opposition outlined its own timeline for selecting a candidate.
On February 18, 2026, Vice President Sara Duterte announced in a speech streamed on her Facebook page that she will run for president in the May 2028 elections. "I am Sara Duterte, and I will run for president of the Philippines," she said. "I offer my life, my strength, and my future in the service of our nation."
The announcement comes amid expected new impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives against her, following the Supreme Court's voiding of the 2025 articles due to the one-year bar. Three new impeachment complaints were filed this month, focusing on allegations of misusing P612.5 million in confidential funds and a possible role in extrajudicial killings in Davao City, as per Arturo Lascañas's affidavit to the ICC.
In her speech, Duterte criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former 2022 running mate, for failing to address flooding, institutional abuse, and corruption in the 2025 budget. "I’m sorry if I helped elect BBM as president of the country," she said. She also referenced the ICC case against her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, arrested in March 2025 with a pre-trial hearing the following week.
Meanwhile, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros, part of the united opposition, responded to the announcement. "Our favorite philosophers said: We have free will. So let’s use it," she stated. She indicated the opposition may name its standard bearer by the end of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, based on shared values against corruption, good governance, economic growth, unity, and national sovereignty.
Hontiveros remains open to running as the presidential or vice presidential candidate. Duterte outlined a platform of independent foreign policy and a tougher stance on crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism.
