"Parting ways"? Two major families in the Philippines
On June 19, Sarah Duterte, daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and current Vice President, resigned from her posts as Minister of Education and Vice Chairman of the Counterinsurgency Task Force, and completely withdrew from the cabinet of Philippine President Marcos. After the shoe dropped, the previous speculation that the two major Philippine families would "part ways" was once again pushed to the peak of public opinion.
Many foreign media outlets agree that this is the latest sign of the breakdown of the political alliance between the two major political families in the Philippines - the Duterte family and the Marcos family.
The Philippine Presidential Office announced on June 19 that Vice President Sara has resigned from her posts as Secretary of Education and Vice Chairman of the Counterinsurgency Task Force. The resignation will take effect on July 19.
In a statement, Philippine Presidential Information Secretary Carrafil said President Marcos has accepted Sara's resignation. "Sara refused to explain the reason for her resignation. She will continue to serve as vice president. We thank her for her service," Carrafil said.
At the press conference, Sarah said that she chose to resign from her positions as Minister of Education and others "not because of incompetence, but because she truly cares about teachers and young people."
However, Sara refused to answer questions about the details of her resignation and the reasons why she left the Marcos cabinet.
Sarah, 46, is the eldest daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. In the 2022 Philippine presidential election, the Marcos family and the Duterte family chose to join forces, and Sarah became Marcos' running mate, helping him gain a lot of support.
Regarding Sara's resignation, Reuters said that "the move was not surprising," confirming what political observers have long predicted: the family alliance she formed with Marcos in 2022 was "doomed to collapse" due to political and policy differences.
Foreign media pointed out that after Marcos became the president of the Philippines, the rift between the two family alliances was exposed and continued to deepen.
In November 2023, Sara was accused of using up to 125 million pesos of confidential funds from the Vice President's Office without the authorization of Congress in 2022, and some members of the House of Representatives once considered impeaching her.
Since the beginning of 2024, Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte have repeatedly engaged in public verbal battles, putting the partnership between the two political families at risk.
According to multiple foreign media reports, Rodrigo Duterte called Marcos a "drug addict" in January, and Marcos retorted that Rodrigo Duterte "abused fentanyl." Philippine First Lady Lisa then publicly criticized Sarah for supporting her father's "drug accusations against Marcos," and Lisa also refused to communicate with her in public.
In April, a Philippine congressman publicly issued a statement listing a series of "crimes" against Sarah, including failing to distance herself from insulting remarks made by family members and her unproductive work in the Ministry of Education, and demanded that Sarah resign as Minister of Education.
Analysts said that as the conflict deepened, Sarah's resignation was inevitable. "This resignation is not impromptu, it is related to the widening gap between their policy and political positions," said Arugay, a senior researcher at the Yusof Ishak Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Analysts believe that Sara's resignation not only represents the "breakdown" of the ruling coalition, but also means a possible "split" between the Duterte family and the Marcos family, making the Philippines polarized.
Experts said that resigning would provide Sarah with "political space" to oppose Marcos. Many foreign media speculated that Sarah might run for the Philippine presidency in 2028 and support a group of people she recognizes to run in the 2025 mid-term elections.
Sara enjoys a high level of trust among the Filipino people. A recent survey by Philippine polling agency WRN showed that Sara has become the top candidate for the next president with a support rate of 29%.
The upcoming mid-term elections in the Philippines are seen as a critical test and barometer of the survival of the political alliance between the two major families.
Philippine political scientist Agulhas pointed out that the mid-term elections will be a test for the Maduro-Durant alliance, and the situation will become clearer by then. "If they can put forward a common candidate, it means that the alliance is still good. Otherwise, it means that it is not far from extinction."
