Here come the Dutertes

Former president Rodrigo Duterte and sons Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte shall each seek a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections, according to Vice President Sara Duterte.

- EDITH REGALADO and DIANA LHYD SUELTO

The Vice President also confirmed that the family is already preparing for the 2028 presidential race, with Baste being groomed as their presidential candidate.

The Vice President disclosed that all three Dutertes are ready to join the Senate race.

"All of them are raring to run. PRRD (president Rodrigo Roa Duterte), senator. My older brother, Paolo Duterte, who is congressman now, senator. Even Sebastian Duterte," the Vice President said in Filipino in an interview with the media in Cagayan de Oro.

The Duterte brothers are reportedly bent on landing Senate seats. Paolo is on his third term as congressman while Baste is on his second term as Davao City mayor.

The Vice President said that in 2028, she will probably run for mayor of Davao City.

"My mother told me to go back as mayor in Davao," she said in the vernacular.

She, however, said there is still no concrete date as to when she would be going back to Davao City.

Duterte also said there are no plans for her to resign as Vice President.

"No, that was not discussed," she told reporters.

The Vice President's announcement unveiled the Dutertes' political plans following the souring of their relationship with Marcos.

It was just this month that Vice President Duterte confirmed the breakup of the UniTeam, the tandem that catapulted her and Marcos Jr. to victory.

"The UniTeam was a tandem during the 2022 elections. The elections are over, we won and we are grateful to those who supported us," Duterte said in a previous interview.

Later, the Vice President tendered her resignation as Department of Education secretary and vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.