Youngest VP elected in the country, the first VP to hail from Davao City
(Eagle News) – On Sunday afternoon, June 19, as scheduled, Vice-President elect Sara Duterte-Carpio was inaugurated as the 15th vice-president of the country, in Davao City.
Sara becomes the first vice-president to hail from Davao City. It will also be the first time in the country’s history, even for just a few days –11 days to be exact — that the President and the Vice-President of the Philippines is a father and daughter team. This is although Sara officially takes office at noon of June 30 as mandated by the 1987 Constitution.
This “coincidence” is not lost to outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
-It’s a Duterte-Duterte for 11 days, says Pres. Duterte-
In his speech during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Philippine Sports Training Center in Bataan last Friday, June 17, President Duterte noted this “queer coincidence” in the nation’s history.
“You know there is a queer coincidence in our history. Maybe it would be the first time, I don’t know. I have yet to look into the archives of our country. But si Inday may — Vice Mayor, would swear sa loyalty niya sa Constitution and to the country ngayong 19. So si Bongbong Marcos would take his oath of office on June 30 pa. So at that time, at that point in time sa history, ang Presidente ako pa. June 30 pa ‘yung isa eh,” President Duterte noted.
“Pero may Vice President na nag-oath of office na. So in about — how many days it would be? Eleven, oo tama 11 days, ang Presidente ninyo Duterte, ang Vice President ninyo Duterte,” he said.
The 77-year old President even joked about this “queer situation” in his speech.
“Kaya sabihin ko kay Inday, ituloy na lang natin ito. Hindi biro lang. But it’s really a queer situation. And well for one, it would be become — it would become a vignettes of life later on,” Duterte said.
-Pres. Duterte, Pres-elect Marcos Jr to attend historic inauguration-
President Duterte attended the inauguration of his daughter, Sara, as the 15th Vice-President of the country held at the San Pedro Square in their hometown of Davao City.
At 44, she is the youngest vice-president of the country to take her oath. She is also the third Filipina to be elected as vice-president. The first is Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was elected in May 1998, and the second is Vice-President Leni Robredo who was elected in May 2016.
Both President Duterte and President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., also attended Sara’s inauguration ceremony.
Her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, was also at the ceremony. She held the Bible that daugher Sara used as she took her oath as the 15th Vice-President of the country during the inauguration ceremony.
-Earlier inauguration date to honor people of Davao City –
The Vice-President-elect said she wanted to have an earlier inauguration date in Davao City to honor the Davaoeños who had supporter her and her father, and also so she could attend the inauguration of her running-mate President-elect Marcos Jr. at the National Museum on June 30.
President Duterte had been the longest serving mayor of Davao City for almost 23 years, having won the mayoralty seat for seven terms. His daughter Sara first served as vice-mayor of Davao City in 2007, and in 2010 became the first female mayor of the city, the youngest to be elected as mayor of the city.
“I thank all the people of Davao because they mold me as a public servant. They taught me how to prolong my patience. I thank them for their support and for believing in me (from) 2007 until 2016,” she said of her decision to hold the inauguration event in Davao City.
“My heart is full because I am with the people of Davao,” Duterte said.
Her oath of office is to be administered by Supreme Court Associate Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, her law professor at the San Sebastian College.
For her inauguration, she will wear an emerald green gown creation by her favorite designer, Silverio Anglacer, who had been her couturier since 2010.
-Shortest VP inaugural speech promised-
The Vice-President-elect said she would deliver the “shortest inaugural speech for a vice-president,” citing the unpredictable weather.
“We do not control the weather, so we do not know what will happen in the next minute in terms of weather,” she said.
“It will be very short and will focus on the messages that I gave during the campaign, reiterating what we should do as a country,” she added.
Vice-president elect Sara Duterte Carpio was born in Davao City on May 31, 1978, and is the second child of President Duterte and Elizabeth Zimmerman.
-First time in 10 months to talk to Pres. Duterte-
Sara said this would be her first time since August last year that she would be able to personally see and talk to her father. Coincidentally, June 19 is also the date when “Father’s Day” is celebrated this year.
She is married to fellow lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio whom she met at the San Beda University. They have two sons — Mateo Lucas, nicknamed “Stingray,” and Marko Digong, nicknamed “Stonefish”—and an adopted daughter Mikhaila Maria nicknamed “Sharky.”
Her father, initially wanted her to run for president for the May 2022 elections, but Sara opted to be the running mate of now President-elect Marcos Jr.
She won with an overwhelming number of votes at more than 32 million.
(Eagle News Service)