Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday led the signing of the Office of the Vice President’s commemorative coffee table book ‘First in Line’ during the OVP Pop-Up Exhibit EXTRA+Ordinary at Ayala Malls Abreeza on Saturday, which was attended by business and civic leaders, government officials, and members of the public.
Among those in attendance were Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala, CEO of ACMobility; Paolo Borromeo, president and CEO of Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc.; Cel Amores, senior director of Ayala Foundation, Inc.; and Janice Parreño, general manager of Ayala Malls Abreeza.
The event featured a public exhibit highlighting the history and role of the Philippine vice presidency, alongside the first official signing of the Office of the Vice President’s 90th-anniversary commemorative book.
A total of 318 copies of the coffee table book were signed during the activity.
In her remarks, Duterte noted that the gathering coincided with several milestones for the city and the country.
“Davao City turns 89. The City Hall marks one hundred years of service. And today, the Office of the Vice President brings its 90th anniversary commemorative book for its first official signing,” she said.
“Three milestones in one afternoon here in Mindanao, where history has never learned to arrive one thing at a time,” she added.
Duterte said the vice presidency has often been misunderstood as merely a position of succession rather than one of active public service.
“For decades, the vice presidency was misread — set aside, kept in reserve, treated as proximity to power rather than power itself. That assumption was always wrong,” she said.
The event was also graced by former President and Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Duterte described her as the only person in the room who has served in both posts.
“She knows what this office demands before the country thinks to ask,” Duterte said.
She added that Arroyo’s experience serves as “testimony” to the responsibilities carried by the vice presidency.
Duterte thanked Ayala Malls for hosting the exhibit in a public space, emphasizing the importance of bringing the history of the office closer to ordinary Filipinos.
She said the EXTRA+Ordinary exhibit, organized with private sector partners, is set to travel to 90 locations across the country to make the story of the vice presidency more accessible.
“This exhibit and the book, First in Line, are the permanent record of fourteen leaders who held the Republic together. They were not always celebrated. They were always necessary,” she emphasized.
Addressing young attendees, Duterte urged them to study history beyond simplified narratives and to examine the deeper context behind major decisions in the country’s past.
“History is often written by the victors and edited by the comfortable. I dare you to dig deeper into the nuances and the counter-narratives that have been pushed to the margins,” she said.
She also encouraged the youth to become “keepers of the record” and to pursue a fuller, more honest understanding of the nation’s history.
“Duty. Continuity. Legacy. Don’t just read about them. Defend them. Atong panalipdan ang dungog sa atong nasod. Let us stand for the honor of our nation,” Duterte said.
