Sara Duterte

Duterte being interviewed by ABS-CBN News on March 12, 2009, when she was still vice mayor.

Duterte was elected vice mayor of Davao City in 2007, succeeding Luis Bonguyan.[10] She served under her father, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, for one term until 2010.

Duterte was elected mayor of Davao City in 2010, successfully switching roles with her father Rodrigo Duterte as mayor and vice-mayor, respectively.[11] She became the city's first female mayor and the youngest to have been elected to the position in the political history of Davao City. Vowing to be “useful and to serve the country at all times,” she assumed the post that her father Rodrigo held for over 20 years.[12] The Dutertes have supported political dynasties in the Philippines, stating that their nearly four decades of uncontested rule in Davao as a product of "democratic" process.[13][14] She won over House Speaker Prospero Nograles, her father's political rival, in a lead of 200,000 votes in the 2010 elections. Nograles earlier filed a protest at the Commission on Elections in Manila questioning the results, stating that there was a conspiracy of local poll officials.[15]

On July 1, 2011, Duterte gained national attention when she punched Abe Andres, a Davao City Regional Trial Court sheriff, over the demolition of shanties in Barangay Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr., Agdao, Davao City. She had earlier asked the court and the demolition team to delay the demolition but Andres refused, making her furious.[16] On July 11, Sheriffs Confederation of the Philippines Inc. filed a complaint against Duterte in connection to the incident.[17] On June 28, 2012, almost a year after the incident, she publicly apologized to Andres and his family.[18]

Duterte decided not to seek re-election in 2013 to give way to her father Rodrigo.[19] She also turned down her father's offer to run for representative of Davao City's 1st district.[20] Her first term as mayor of Davao City ended on June 30, 2013.

Duterte was also one of the nine elected governors of the Philippine Red Cross in 2014.[21]

In October 2015, she shaved her head to convince her father to run for president in the 2016 Philippine presidential elections, despite the latter's reticence due to lack of campaign funds and political machinery.[22][23]

President Rodrigo Duterte performs a duet with his daughter Sara on June 24, 2019.

Duterte ran again for the mayoralty post for Davao City in the 2016 elections and won the position, succeeding her father for the second time. She had her older brother Paolo and later Bernard Al-ag as her vice mayor.[24][25]

On October 23, 2017, Sara Duterte launched the "Tapang at Malasakit" (lit. 'Courage and Compassion') movement composed of Duterte supporters and allies.[26][27][28]

On February 23, 2018, she launched a new regional party called Hugpong ng Pagbabago.[29] The party was later approved on July 4, 2018, ahead of the 2019 midterm elections.[30]

On October 18, 2018, she filed her candidacy to seek reelection as mayor of Davao City.[31][32] She said in interview that she does not intend to withdraw her COC as city mayor and request for a substitution to run for a national post, similar to what President Duterte did before in the 2016 presidential elections.[33] However, many political commentators see her as President Duterte's successor, referring to her role as a powerbroker in the midterms.[34][35]

On July 9, 2021, Duterte said that she was open to run for president. However, there was no final decision yet.[36] On September 9, 2021, she said that she is not running for president since her father, President Duterte was running for vice president, and they agreed that only one of them will run for a national position.[37] Since President Duterte did not file his candidacy for vice president, Duterte filed her candidacy for re-election on October 2, 2021.[38]

On November 9, 2021, Duterte withdrew her candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor.[39] Her brother Sebastian, incumbent vice mayor of Davao City, will run in her stead.[40] On November 11, she resigned from Hugpong ng Pagbabago and subsequently joined Lakas–CMD.[41][42] She joined Lakas while in Silang, Cavite, where she attended the wedding of Gianna Revilla-Patricio, the daughter of party chairman and Senator Bong Revilla, as one of the wedding sponsors.[43] On November 13, she filed her candidacy for vice president, substituting Lyle Uy, who withdrew from the race.[44] According to Duterte, she joined the vice presidential race in order to meet her supporters halfway, who had wanted her to run for the presidency.[45] She was then adopted and endorsed by Partido Federal ng Pilipinas as their vice presidential candidate, making her the running mate of its presidential nominee former Senator Bongbong Marcos,[46] and by People's Reform Party.[47] On November 17, she was named as the chairperson of Lakas, succeeding Bong Revilla.[48] On November 19, she re-joined Hugpong ng Pagbabago and was named as its chairperson once again.[49]