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With a little over three years to go before the 2028 presidential elections, and if the strategy really is a world tour — which countries do you think the Vice President will tick off her travel bucket list next?
If Vice President Sara Duterte were to give advice to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on how to run the country, it might be to travel the world as she does and engage with overseas Filipinos. Since the start of 2024, Duterte has made 13 trips abroad — enough to draw observations that she seems to be on a world tour.
Drawing laughter from a crowd in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte joked on Thursday, August 28, that she should charge the Marcos administration for her unsolicited advice.
“Siguro dapat gawin nila ‘yung ginagawa ko, ‘di ba? Umiikot ako sa iba’t-ibang Filipino communities around the world. The overseas Filipinos and the overseas Filipino Workers ang pinaka the best na mga consultants, kasi sila ‘yung nakatira, nakaikot sa buong mundo, nakatrabaho sa iba’t ibang lugar. Alam nila ang best practices,” Duterte said.
(Maybe they should do what I’m doing, right? I go around different Filipino communities around the world. Overseas Filipinos and Overseas Filipino Workers are the best consultants because they live in, have been around, and have worked in different parts of the world. They know the best practices.)
She was responding to a question from a vlogger about the “best practices” the Philippines could adopt in light of recent flooding and issues of corruption in government projects.
Which countries has the Vice President visited in the past eight months? Here’s a tally:
- January – Japan
- February – Japan
- March – Hongkong, TheNetherlands
- May – Qatar, The Netherlands
- June – Australia, Malaysia
- July – The Netherlands, South Korea
- August – Kuwait, France, The Netherlands
She has another trip — Japan, this time — in September.
Duterte’s frequent trips abroad have drawn criticism, as she is the second-highest official in the country. She is currently in The Hague, Netherlands, a place she often visits to see her detained father. In late March, she said that even though she was out of the country she was working remotely.
Having resigned from the Marcos Cabinet in June 2024, the Vice President has no other official responsibility other than serving as a “spare tire.” She has no big government agency to oversee, which she can cite for her frequent overseas trips. She might also argue that her office can function without her physical presence. This is where comparisons with her similarly-situated predecessor, Leni Robredo, come in.
Robredo was forced to resign as housing czar of the Rodrigo Duterte administration, but she channeled her energies on the Angat Buhay flagship program of the Office of the Vice President.
Political observers suggest that Duterte’s trips abroad are part of a strategy to avoid media scrutiny, especially amid allegations of fund misuse and her now-halted impeachment trial. Overseas, she is assured of cheers and applause from sympathetic political vloggers.
Seasoned campaign strategists are quick to point out that any presidential run will require at least three years preparation and the Vice President seems to be doing exactly that, this time strategically targeting overseas Filipinos who hold sway over their families back home.
With a little over three years to go before the 2028 presidential elections, and if the strategy really is a world tour — which countries do you think the Vice President will tick off her travel bucket list next? – Rappler.com
