Sara Duterte Announces 2028 Presidential Bid in Philippines

Is Duterte dodging corruption charges with a distraction or facing baseless political persecution?

Published 1 day ago

Sara Duterte Announces 2028 Presidential Bid in Philippines

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Above: Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte during a press conference in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, on Feb. 18. Image credit: Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Right narrative

Duterte's premature presidential announcement is nothing more than a transparent distraction from serious corruption allegations involving P612.5 million in misused confidential funds and fictitious receipts. The timing — just before her father's ICC hearing and amid impeachment proceedings — reveals a desperate strategy to play victim while dodging accountability for constitutional violations and financial wrongdoing.

INQUIRER.net Philstar.com

Left narrative

The impeachment complaint against Duterte is baseless political persecution lacking any real evidence, driven purely by partisan motivation rather than legitimate concerns. Marcos bungled his presidency by arranging a questionable Interpol arrest of Rodrigo Duterte, turning the midterms into a referendum he lost while his own administration drowns in corruption scandals involving ghost flood control projects.

East Asia Forum

ABS-CBN on X

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 15% chance that armed conflict between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China (PRC) will cause at least 100 deaths before 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.