The unexpected disclosure by Vice President Sara Duterte of the Senate plans of her father and two siblings has drawn mixed reactions.
Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday said it is the right of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his two sons- Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte to run for senators in next year’s elections.
Escudero also said it is the right of the public to choose the candidates whom they would like to serve them in whatever government position.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez also said he sees nothing wrong with the Duterte family’s supposed plans to field three senatorial bets in the May 2025 midterm polls.
“Well it’s a democratic nation that we live in, so any Filipino has the right provided that they have the proper qualifications to seek for higher office,” he said.
Vice President Sara Duterte had earlier disclosed that her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte; and siblings Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte are all running for the Senate in 2025.
She said that Mayor Duterte even plans to run for president during the 2028 presidential elections
He said the announcement, which was made by Vice President Sara Duterte, is a signal of the start of politicking in the country for the midterm elections.
Escudero however said the last day of filing of the certificates of candidacies is still far.
He said many things can still happen before the deadline this coming October.l
Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV described as a ‘worst-scenario’ the running of the three Dutertes.
Trillanes said while it is only the former President who has been entering the “Magic 12” of possible winning senators, he admitted the chances of his two sons cannot be underestimated.
Trillanes said the Dutertes have enough money to bankroll their run for national elections.
He also believes that the three Dutertes will indeed seek Senate seats.
“If they won’t run, it would mean that the Vice President is a liar,” the former senator said
Meanwhile, Former Senator Panfilo Lacson is taking the recent announcement of Vice President Sara Duterte with a grain of salt because “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“I don’t think there is any firm decision made by any of the three Dutertes,” Lacson said.
Lacson said he believes the vice president is using a political strategy straight out of her father’s playbook, dropping random soundbites to keep themselves in the headlines and their opponents guessing.
Lacson however noted that having three Dutertes in the Senate next year remains within the realm of possibility. The same can be said of the other seasoned and emerging political clans such as the Villars, Tulfos, Cayetanos, and Ejercito-Estradas.
“Senate 2025: 3 Duterte’s, 3 Tulfo’s, 2 Villar’s, 2 Cayetano’s, 2 Ejercito-Estrada’s, and the list goes on… because it is what it is – by the people, for the people, of the people (sic),” the former senator posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday.
ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo and media personality Ben Tulfo are reportedly seeking senatorial seats next year, joining their brother Senator Raffy Tulfo.
Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar is said to be planning to switch positions with her mother, outgoing Senator Cynthia Villar, who will move to local politics. The Villar daughter is expected to team up with her brother Senator Mark Villar in the upper chamber.
At present, the Senate has two pairs of siblings: Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and his half-brother Joseph Victor Ejercito.