Days after Vice President Sara Duterte announced her intention to run for president in the 2028 elections, a quote card began circulating online, claiming she wants to stay in power for 30 years. The post needs context.
On Feb. 22, a Facebook page published a graphic with the vice president’s photo and her supposed remark that she wants to lead the country beyond six years, which is the term limit of a president, and without re-election.
A reader sent a message to the VERA Files Misinformation Tipline to check the veracity of the quote card.
The statement attributed to Duterte read:
“Gusto kong mamuno ng 30-years, ayaw ko [ng] 6-years hindi kaya. VP INDAY SARA Sa tanong na kung kaya niyang pamunuan ang bansa sa loob ng 6-years
(I want to lead for 30 years. I don’t want six years; it’s not enough. VP INDAY SARA on the question of whether she can lead the country for six years).”
The post bore the caption:
“Trabaho ayaw, 30-years na maging Presidente gusto (Does not like to work, but wants 30 years of being President)?”
FB page Parang Mali uploaded the earliest version of the graphic, where the vice-president’s statement in one of her latest interviews was taken out of context. While the page itself carried the tag “Satire/Parody,” the post did not include any clear indication that the quote card was intended as satire.
The quote card exaggerates remarks made by Duterte during a Feb. 21 interview on SMNI program Vox Populi, which was livestreamed by DZAR 1026 News YouTube channel. The question and the vice president’s response in the interview were slightly changed.
At the 1:02:29-hour mark, one of the hosts asked the vice president if she thinks the country can recover from the severity of the problems that the Marcos Jr. administration has caused.
The vice president said turning a country around could take at least 30 years and requires “long-term continuity.” In the latter part, she added that what matters is what a president can do in six years and the plans the leader will leave for the next ones.
“In six years, hindi, eh. To turn around a country, you need at least 30 years so dapat mayroong long-term na continuity. ‘Yun ‘yon; long-term na plano, long-term na continuity na paniniguraduin mo na ‘yung susunod, hindi niya pababayaan, babaliktarin o ibabasura ‘yung nagawa nu’ng nauna. Kasi ‘yun ‘yung sikreto ng pag-unlad, eh. Kasi kulang ang six years para ayusin ang isang bansa. Minimum of 30 years. Siguro kung parang walang tulugan, wala ng ano… 25 years. Wala ng pahinga, 25 years kakayanin. We’ll shave off five years. Pero kasi ang termino ng isang pangulo, let us be realistic, six years lang ‘yon. So dapat ang papaniguraduhin mo diyan ay ‘yung magagawa mo for six years at ‘yung iiwan mo na plano para sa mga susunod
(Not in six years. To turn around a country you need at least 30 years so there should be a long-term continuity. That’s it; long-term plan, long-term continuity where you ensure that the next one, he will not abandon, reverse or discard what was done before. Because that’s the secret of progress. Because six years is not enough to fix a country. Minimum of 30 years. Maybe if you’re not going to sleep, 25 years. No rest, 25 years will do. We’ll shave off five years. But because the term of a president, let’s be realistic, is only six years. So what you should ensure is what you can do for six years and what you leave as a plan for the next ones).”
Duterte did not say that she wants to stay in office for 30 years, as the graphic claims.
Other FB pages and users have since reposted the graphic which lacks context.
The quote card began circulating four days after Duterte declared her intention to run for president in 2028. She is currently facing four impeachment complaints at the House of Representatives, where proceedings have been formally initiated.
VERA Files has debunked several disinformation related to the vice president’s announcement.
The original post by the satire/parody FB page Parang Mali (created on April 7, 2021) garnered 6,800 reactions; 1,700 comments; and 286 shares. At least seven posts by other FB users and pages such as Balita para sa Bagong Pilipinas (June 13, 2021) and Pancit Hab-Hab (Nov. 13, 2021) collectively garnered 28,180 reactions; 8,968 comments; and 990 shares. Other X (formerly Twitter) users have reposted the misleading quote card.
