The Educational Journey and Political Ascent of Sara Duterte

Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio, widely known as Inday Sara, is a prominent Filipino lawyer and politician currently serving as the 15th Vice President of the Philippines. Her career is marked by a blend of academic pursuits and political achievements, making her a notable figure in Philippine contemporary history. This article delves into her educational background and how it laid the foundation for her successful political career.

Early Life and Initial Education

Born on May 31, 1978, in Davao City, Sara Duterte is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, who later became the 16th President of the Philippines, and Elizabeth Zimmerman. In her baptism records, her name is Sara Vicenta - in honor of her grandfather, Vicente. Despite her father's initial reservations about his family entering the "messy and difficult world of politics," Sara eventually followed in his footsteps.

Duterte graduated from San Pedro College, initially aiming to pursue a medical career.

Legal Education and Career Beginnings

Shifting her focus from medicine, Sara Duterte attended classes in the College of Law of San Beda College. Eventually, she graduated in San Sebastian College - Recoletos with a law degree.After obtaining her law degree, Sara Duterte embarked on her political journey.

Early Political Career: Davao City

Vice Mayor (2007-2010)

In 2007, Sara Duterte was elected as Davao City's vice mayor, garnering over 330,000 votes and defeating her opponent, Jeff Ho. She succeeded Luis Bonguyan and served under her father, Rodrigo Duterte, who was then the city mayor. During her term as vice mayor, she also served as a regional officer of the National Movement of Young Legislators from 2007 to 2010. Her landmark project as vice mayor was 'Inday para sa Barangay', a whole-of-government approach servicing yearly in each of the city's barangays.

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Mayor of Davao City (2010-2013, 2016-2022)

In 2010, Sara Duterte achieved a significant milestone by being elected as the mayor of Davao City. At 32 years old, she became the youngest and first female mayor of the city, succeeding her father. She won against House Speaker Prospero Nograles, her father's political rival, by a lead of 200,000 votes in the 2010 elections. On December 2, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed her as Chairperson of the Regional Development Council (RDC) Region XI.

After her first term, she took a brief hiatus before returning to politics. In the 2016 elections, she ran again for the mayoralty post and won, succeeding her father for the second time. She was reelected in 2019, marking her continued commitment to Davao City. During her second stint as mayor, she initiated the Byaheng DO30 and Peace 911 programs in the city, as well as overseeing the city government's COVID-19 pandemic response.

Rise to National Prominence

Launching Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP)

On February 23, 2018, Sara Duterte launched a new regional party called Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP). The party was approved on July 4, 2018, ahead of the 2019 general elections. HNP also stood as an electoral alliance, fielding candidates from different parties for the senatorial election. Following the creation of HNP, a feud began between Duterte and then House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, citing its formation as an example of the entrenchment of political dynasties in the country. Duterte also remarked that "the Philippines will be a better country if he is not Speaker." Months later, Alvarez was unseated as the House Speaker in the 17th Congress, with former president and Pampanga's 2nd district representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo taking his place.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response in Davao City

In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic reached Davao City, Duterte created a city task force for COVID-19 and other public health emergencies. The city government cancelled several citywide events, ordered the closure of several establishments, and restricted travel and movement in the city. To aid residents affected by the restrictions, the local government provided food packs.

Vice Presidency

Election and Inauguration

Sara Duterte ran for the vice presidency in 2022 under Lakas-CMD, becoming the running mate of Bongbong Marcos from the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas under the UniTeam Alliance. Their ticket won in a landslide victory, becoming the first running mate pair to win together since 2004, and the first to be elected by a majority since the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1986. Duterte became the vice president-elect, winning the election with 32,208,417 votes with a margin of 22 million over her closest rival, Senator Francis Pangilinan. She also earned the most votes for any office in a single-winner election in Philippine history. She was also the first vice president from Davao City, the youngest to become vice president at the age of 44, the third woman to hold the post after Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Leni Robredo, the third vice president who is a child of a president after Salvador Laurel and Arroyo, the third vice president to come from Mindanao after Emmanuel Pelaez and Teofisto Guingona Jr., and the fourth Cebuano-speaking vice president overall (after Sergio Osmeña, Carlos P. Garcia, and Pelaez).

Key Programs and Initiatives as Vice President

As vice president, Sara Duterte concurrently served as the secretary of education and as vice chairperson of an anti-insurgency task force (NTF-ELCAC) but resigned from both positions on June 19, 2024. On August 3, 2022, Duterte, alongside the Department of Transportation, launched the Libreng Sakay Program (lit. transl. Free Rides Program) of the OVP, providing free rides as an effort to decongest the roads during peak hours. On March 9, 2023, Duterte launched the "Mag Negosyo Ta 'Day" program which aims to financially support women and LGBTQIA+ members, alongside other marginalized sectors, by facilitating a business-friendly environment and encouraging the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises. Following her designation as the co-vice chairperson of the NTF-ELCAC on May 11, 2023, she issued a warning to communist rebels and said the rebels' "so-called protracted war" must end. On May 29, Duterte kicked off a nationwide distribution of one million bags containing school supplies and dental kits as well as the planting of one million trees under the OVP's “PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees” program. From July 2022 to October 2023, Duterte's OVP was able to provide ₱1.2 billion worth of medical assistance to 106,958 beneficiaries, with the office's burial assistance program providing ₱130.3 million worth of assistance to 22,470 families. Within the same time period, the office's Libreng Sakay Program served commuters in Metro Manila, Bacolod City, Davao City, and Cebu City.

International Engagements

Duterte has also been active in international engagements. She visited Japan as the Philippine's Special Envoy to the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. During her visit, she conducted several education-related activities, visiting an elementary school in Japan and meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. She also visited Brunei, Singapore, and South Korea, engaging in discussions on education, bilateral relations, and other important topics.

Tenure as Secretary of Education

As the concurrent Education Secretary, Duterte was responsible for planning further the transition to the resumption of mandatory face-to-face classes at all basic education schools in the Philippines, which was put on hold since 2020 due to the risks brought out by the COVID-19 pandemic, for the school year 2022-2023. She issued her first department order, the Department Order No. In July 2023, Duterte adopted a National Learning Recovery Program that underscores the need to address learning losses among students caused by the COVID-19 pandemic's disruption of in-person schooling.

Education Reforms

During Duterte's tenure as Secretary of Education, the DepEd launched in August 2023 a new "less congested" and revised version of K-12, called the "Matatag curriculum". This version of the K-12 reduced the learning areas for students from seven to five, and removed Mother Tongue as a separate subject; it also emphasized a "Makabansa" learning area to instill Filipino identity and nationalism among students. Other reforms implemented by Duterte as education secretary was the establishment of a procurement strand within the department to streamline service delivery and resource acquisition, as well as the creation of a school infrastructure and facilities strand to tackle the shortage of classrooms and equipment, which resulted in the construction of 2,201 classrooms, 45 Last Mile School classrooms, and 880 health facilities by the end of 2023.

Digital Infrastructure

Under her tenure, satellite internet was provided to 2,000 schools, while 25 schools were selected for Starlink connections as of 2023. The DepEd also introduced "Digital Education Learning Carts" and mobile computer labs equipped with laptops, charging carts, and Smart TVs.

Controversies and Challenges

Despite her achievements, Sara Duterte's career has not been without controversies. She gained national attention when she punched Abe Andres, a Davao City Regional Trial Court sheriff, over the demolition of shanties in Barangay Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr., Agdao, Davao City. She had earlier asked the court and the demolition team to delay the demolition.

ICC Investigation

In January 2024, former senator Antonio Trillanes claimed that Duterte was included as a “secondary respondent" in a crime against humanity case pending before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Arturo Lascañas, a retired police officer in Davao City, implicated Duterte as having had a role in extrajudicial killings (EJKs) after succeeding her father, Rodrigo Duterte, to become Davao City mayor in 2010.

Security Detail and Political Harassment Claims

A day after Marcos' SONA, the Philippine National Police (PNP) relieved all 75 police officers previously assigned for Duterte's security, reducing her from a record-high of around 400, the most for any Philippine vice president in history. Despite the recall, she still retains over 300 security personnel, more than those assigned to Marcos. She described the recall as “a clear case of political harassment” and accused PNP Chief Rommel Marbil of lying.

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