Vice President Sara Duterte makes a speech to mark the 127th Independence Day on Thursday, June 12, 2025. — Screengrab from Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Only “true unity” attains freedom, Vice President Sara Duterte said on Thursday in a speech marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence.
Duterte celebrated Independence Day with Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“This day is also a reminder that freedom can only be attained if we have true unity because in our unity, we will have strength, determination, courage,” she said in a speech in Filipino to her compatriots.
Unity was a key message of her and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2022 campaign. Their alliance, dubbed the “UniTeam,” has since soured.
“However, our unity will expose the interests that oppose the interests of Filipinos,” Duterte said, subtly referring to her once-ally.
READ: ‘Broken from start’, UniTeam sees complete collapse
“Their true colors show and they are unveiled. Through violence and the power they borrowed, they will make us suffer,” she added.
The Vice President specifically cited her father and former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and turnover to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the Netherlands last March.
The former commander-in-chief was surrendered to the international tribunal to face allegations of crimes against humanity committed during his war on drugs, which killed up to an estimated 30,000 people.
READ: Sara Duterte to Filipinos: Do not surrender our freedom to traitors
Earlier on Thursday, in a video message, Duterte marked Independence Day by urging Filipinos “not to surrender their freedom to traitors.”
Duterte left for Malaysia for a “personal trip,” her office said last Tuesday. /das