The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte, expressed its support for Vice President Sara Duterte’s decision to resign from her Cabinet posts, emphasizing that it does not diminish her dedication to the country.
“The PDP lauds and supports the principled leadership of VP Sara Duterte who shows love for country in every decision,” the PDP stated. “We are in solidarity with Vice President Sara in translating into action our shared values of being God-fearing, patriotic, and most of all, ready to fight for the interest and well-being of all Filipinos.”
Vice President Duterte announced her resignation as Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Vice Chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) last Tuesday. Malacañang confirmed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has accepted her resignation, which will take effect on July 19.
Duterte clarified that her resignation stemmed from concerns for teachers and students, not due to any weakness.
Although her father chairs PDP, Vice President Sara Duterte has never been a member of the party. She leads the Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a regional party, and joined Lakas-CMD as its chairperson ahead of her 2022 vice presidential campaign. However, she resigned from Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) in May 2023, citing internal politicking and efforts to undermine her.
In April, the Duterte-chaired PDP dropped “Laban” from its name. PDP-Laban was originally formed in 1983 through the merger of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) and Lakas Ng Bayan (Laban), founded by opposition leaders during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
PDP-Laban was a dominant party in 1986, following the election victory of Corazon Aquino and the ousting of Marcos Sr. The party backed Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential bid in 2016. Ahead of the 2022 elections, the party split into two factions: one led by Duterte and then-Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, and the other by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao.
In 2022, the Commission on Elections ruled in favor of the Cusi wing as the legitimate PDP-Laban party. However, Pimentel’s faction has since appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn this decision.