Vice Presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte greets supporters during a grand rally at the Lima Commercial Estate along the border of Lipa and Malvar Batangas on April 20, 2022. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<p>DIGOS CITY — Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday ended the 2025 midterm elections campaign trail in her bailiwick Mindanao, saying that introducing “unknown” senatorial candidates to voters in a short span of time was the “challenge” for her in this year’s campaign. </p><p>The Vice President only began campaigning for 10 senatorial candidates allied with father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, about 3 weeks before the midterm elections as she had to step in for her dad who was arrested and brought before the International Criminal Court in mid-March. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/5/11/sara-duterte-to-celebrate-mother-s-day-with-mom-elizabeth-siblings-0925">Sara Duterte to celebrate Mother&#x27;s Day with mom Elizabeth, siblings ahead of 2025 elections</a></div><p>“Ang challenge ko is unknown yung mga candidates so nandoon yung pressure ko na mabilisang makilala ng mga tao yung mga kandidato ng PDP,” she said, referring to Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, her father’s political party.</p><p>When asked if she felt any pressure to fill in her father’s role of campaigning for their allies, she said, “Yes, dahil yung elections natin is an election of memory, recall sa apelyido.”</p><p>“Laging kapag sikat yung apelyido, yun ang naaalala ng tao,” she said.</p><p>In the days leading to the May 12 elections, Duterte has repeatedly urged voters to choose candidates based on their track records, and not on their family names and their ability to charm the public with song and dance numbers during sorties.</p><p>Only 2 out of the 10 Duterte-backed senatorial aspirants are reelectionists, while the 8 others are political neophytes.</p><p>While Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go has topped pre-election surveys and Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa steadily climbed the unofficial rankings ahead of the elections, their allies struggled to be identified as candidates with a statistical chance of grabbing one of the 12 vacant seats in the Senate.</p><p>The other Duterte-endorsed candidates are pediatrician Marites Mata, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, actor Philip Salvador, and lawyers Jimmy Bondoc, Jayvee Hinlo, Raul Lambino, Rodante Marcoleta, and Vic Rodriguez.</p><p>In April, the Vice President also endorsed for senators Sen. Imee Marcos and Rep. Camille Villar, two candidates who were originally allied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s coalition.</p><p>“Kailangan diretso Duterte plus 2 — Camille Villar and Imee Marcos — para alam na nila, hindi na sila mag-away ng dahil sa pulitika,” the Vice President said.</p><p>“Ang pag-aawayan na lang nila ay kung saan at paano ilagay ang mga proyekto, yung mga ganoon na lang ang pag-uusapan nila, yung serbisyo sa bahay,” she said.</p><p>On the final day of the campaign, the PDP announced it would also adopt and endorse Sen. Marcos and Villar, saying that it would be more strategic to have 12 senators in their slate.</p><p>In a resolution, the party also underscored that they need more allies in the Senate to “protect the vice president from impeachment,” a statement which Duterte says she never made throughout the campaign.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/10/pdp-adopts-imee-marcos-camille-villar-to-protect-sara-duterte-0029">PDP adopts Imee Marcos, Camille Villar to protect Sara Duterte</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8x9CE2h_Wl0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday ended the 2025 midterm elections campaign trail in her bailiwick Mindanao, saying that introducing “unknown” senatorial candidates to voters in a short span of time was the “challenge” for her in this year’s campaign.</p>

Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday ended the 2025 midterm elections campaign trail in her bailiwick Mindanao, saying that introducing “unknown” senatorial candidates to voters in a short span of time was the “challenge” for her in this year’s campaign.

VP Sara acknowledges 'pressure' in introducing 'unknown' PDP bets in a short period | ABS-CBN

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VP Sara acknowledges 'pressure' in introducing 'unknown' PDP bets in a short period

VP Sara acknowledges 'pressure' in introducing 'unknown' PDP bets in a short period

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 11, 2025 10:21 AM PHT

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