Caraga supporters believe Sara Duterte ‘will be vindicated’

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Confident that Vice President Sara Duterte will overcome efforts to unseat her from office, loyalists across the Caraga region have launched an extensive recruitment campaign to consolidate grassroots support for her presidential run in 2028.

The regional push is spearheaded by the Volunteer Protectors of Sara Duterte (VPSD), whose local leadership expressed optimism that Duterte will withstand the current impeachment trial. 

Loida Singh, VPSD convenor in Agusan del Sur, said Tuesday that the Vice President’s legal defense team is equipped to handle any charges brought against her before Congress.

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READ: Prosecutors file formal offer of evidence in Sara Duterte trial

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“She will be vindicated and will become president of the country in 2028,” Singh told the Inquirer.

Singh revealed that VPSD—one of the frontline grassroots formations promoting Duterte’s political trajectory—is actively barnstorming communities throughout Caraga to recruit members down to the barangay level. 

In Agusan del Sur alone, the organization has already established a network of at least 800 active volunteers, laying the groundwork for her expected 2028 presidential campaign.

The province-wide mobilization coincided with a gathering here of local community organizers, indigenous peoples’ representatives, and retired military and police personnel on Saturday. Attendees reaffirmed their personal and organizational loyalty to Duterte, vowing to serve as a protective civic shield amid persistent attacks, investigations, and impeachment threats from rival political factions.

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Although absent from Saturday’s rally, Duterte sent a message thanking supporters for their prayers and urging community resilience amid inflation and political noise. The vice president said true courage comes not from politicians, but from ordinary citizens standing watch and demanding honest governance for the next generation.

Retired Gen. Benson Leleng, national president of Sara Philippines, promised that a Duterte presidency would prioritize addressing the deteriorating public healthcare system and steep living costs that burden typical Filipino families.

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Dominic Cayaban, VPSD national convenor, emphasized the need to mobilize “warm bodies” on the ground to register public resistance against moves to unseat Duterte.  

READ: VP defense team may still go to SC over conviction vote

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The impeachment trial is scheduled to resume on Nov. 9, with the defense’s turn to present evidence disproving the allegations against Duterte./coa