“Tagam sila.”
That’s the straightforward remark of former President Rodrigo Duterte as relayed by Vice President Sara Duterte who revealed that her father was elated by the results of the recent elections. The local polls saw a sweeping victory for Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL), his local political party.
“When I updated him on who supported him and who didn’t, he had no reaction to the national results. But regarding the local elections, he said, ‘Tagam’ (karma). He repeated it—‘Tagam, tagam sila,’” the vice president recounted.
Meantime, VP Sara said the mayor-elect’s legal team is working on the formalities of his oath-taking following his landslide victory in the Davao City mayoral race.
Despite being detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Duterte defeated former Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Karlo Nograles by a lopsided margin.
The vice president confirmed that Duterte’s lawyers will provide an update before June 30.
“His legal team is figuring out the process for his oath-taking. They’re working on it, but I don’t think they have an answer yet. I’m sure they’ll give an update in the coming days, right before noon on June 30,” she said.
Proud of PDP Senators
The vice president acknowledged that the results of the senatorial race were unexpected but expressed pride in the senators and candidates under PDP Laban.
Incumbent Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go emerged as the top senatorial candidate with over 27 million votes.
Other PDP candidates who secured spots in the top 12 included Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Rodante Marcoleta, Camille Villar, and Imee Marcos.
Meanwhile, PDP candidates who did not make the cut were Jimmy Bondoc, Philip Salvador, Raul Lambino, Vic Rodriguez, and Jayvee Hinlo.
“It wasn’t what we expected—we had hoped for more PDP candidates to win. But in my heart, they have already won. I listened to their campaign speeches, even if only once during the Miting de Avance. And I was proud of them. They knew what they wanted for the country and fought for it. So, in my heart, they won,” she said.
Blaming the President
Vice President Duterte also shared her views on why President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s senatorial slate under Alyansa did not perform well in the elections.
“Why do I think the Alyansa Senators didn’t do well? It’s because of the President. People feel that he hasn’t fulfilled his promises and expect more from him, especially regarding his work for the country. They should not blame anyone else for the outcome—it’s simply the President,” she remarked.
