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February 22, 2026 | 12:00am
Vice President Sara Duterte conducts a press conference in Mandaluyong on February 18, 2026.
STAR / Miguel de Guzman
MANILA, Philippines — By announcing her intention to run for president in 2028, Vice President Sara made a “misguided gamble” that “leaves a bad taste in the mouth,” according to a former campaigner and congressman Joey Salceda.
At the Saturday Media Forum, Salceda said Duterte’s declaration was made at the wrong time and was apparently driven by wrong political instinct.
“Marcos is the President until June 2028. I once worked with her (Duterte), but this time around, I think it is not OA (overacting) to say it is an ill-advised move. I think it is a misguided gamble,” Salceda said at the forum.
Salceda, who campaigned for Duterte in 2022 and publicly promoted her potential presidential bid before she eventually ran for and won as vice president, said the move was unnecessary.
“In 2022, I was promoting Sara for presidency. You can go back to your files,” said Salceda, who was also governor of Albay province.
He stressed that presidential bids tend to be more successful if they arise from genuine public clamor, not early positioning.
“I think I would have wanted that there should be a clamor for her. Let the people proclaim you,” Salceda said.
Duterte recently announced her presidential bid in the wake of the filing of multiple impeachment complaints against her at the House of Representatives.
Also at the forum, one of the endorsers of the four impeachment complaints against Duterte, Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante, said her early announcement could be a “blessing in disguise” for her potential rivals in the 2028 elections, as it would put her under intense public scrutiny at a time when the people are demanding transparency and accountability.
“She announced too early. That would put her in a place in which she will be exposed more. There are many questions that will be asked from her, particularly the impeachment complaint,” Abante, chairman of the House committee on human rights, said.
He said the complaint against the Vice President is centered on her alleged unexplained wealth.
Abante said he endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint because it touches “the very heart of public trust.”
“My only request to our Vice Preisdent is, if she is not hiding anything, if what she did is really aboveboard, then she should say it,” Abante said.
“She should be transparent, she should be accountable, she should have integrity so that the people would know that she will be a good president,” he added.
Abante has consistently maintained that if elections were held today, the Vice President would likely win. But he emphasized that having a high chance of winning does not mean she is unbeatable.
He emphasized that more than two years remain before the 2028 elections and that there can still be significant shift in political dynamics. “Many things will happen,” Abante said.
