FORMER Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Saturday said Vice President Sara Duterte’s announcement that she will run for president in 2028 was a “misguided gamble” that “leaves a bad taste in the mouth,” warning that the early declaration appears driven by the wrong political instincts at the wrong time.
Salceda, who campaigned for Duterte in 2022 and publicly promoted her potential presidential bid before she eventually ran and won as vice president, said the move now was premature and unnecessary, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. set to serve until June 2028.
“Hanggang June 2028 si Marcos pa rin ang Presidente. I once worked with her (Duterte), pero this time around, I think it is hindi OA (overacting) magsabi na it is an ill-advised move. I think it is a misguided gamble,” Salceda, former chairman of the House Committees on Ways and Means and on Appropriations, said during the Saturday Media Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
Salceda’s remarks carry particular weight given his past support for Duterte’s national ambitions.
“In 2022, I was promoting Sara for presidency. You can go back to your files,” said the former lawmaker and governor of Albay province.
But Salceda stressed that presidential bids are strongest when they arise from genuine public clamor, not early positioning.
“I think I would have wanted that there should be a clamor for her. Let the people proclaim you,” Salceda said.
Duterte recently announced her presidential bid amid multiple impeachment complaints filed against her in the House of Representatives and the proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) involving her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his bloody war on drugs.
