Andronico Del Rosario
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio left the country yesterday, April 7, and headed for Singapore to tend to her health, but Netizens aren’t buying her alibi.
In a statement, Duterte said she was on leave from April 6 to 10, having been allowed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to leave the country.
Duterte said she is in Singapore for personal health management, and that all protocols were pre-arranged once she returns to Davao City after her five-day leave.
https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/1379642541058838531
At any given normal circumstances even during the pandemic, trips like these won’t be escaping from the radar. It is highlighted though, since Duterte-Carpio is the Presidential daughter, after all.
Netizens are already speculating on why she flew to Singapore, with one theory–she isn’t in Singapore for “personal health”, but more for “political health.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist DLS Pineda argues that Duterte is in Singapore for a short campaign run.
Sara Duterte has employed a smart strategist (her response to 1Sambayan’s assembling makes me think so). She’s also likely vaccinated. Singapore has a massive OFW population. She’s not dying, she’s campaigning, and she’s using the socmed reaction as diving board.
— Dino Pineda (@dlspineda) April 7, 2021
According to Pineda, it’s likely that Duterte has employed a strategist and is using reactions from social media as her “diving board.”
He also pointed out how overseas Filipino workers often influence entire households to all vote for one candidate—in this case, Sara Duterte.
Winning the OFW vote has proven to be an effective campaign strategy. OFWs are breadwinners. They might be blind to the events on the ground, but their living in dev’d countries makes them witnesses to a utopia void of history. If they say vote Sara, entire households vote Sara.
— Dino Pineda (@dlspineda) April 7, 2021
If proven true, this also confirms that Duterte’s non-involvement with a campaign wanting her to run for President in 2022 is false.
Other Netizens, however, have drawn comparisons between the Presidential daughter and the daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo.
A tale of two daughters. One flies to Singapore amid the surge of COVID-19 infections in the PH. The other volunteers to be a swabber in her Mom’s mass testing initiative. Kaya pala Run Sara Run yung campaign tagline nung isa ano? pic.twitter.com/XPBZG4vmA4
— Gerry Cacanindin (@GerryCacanindin) April 7, 2021
Dr. Tricia Robredo, who got her MD this 2020, volunteered as one of the swabbers for her mother’s mass testing initiative in Malabon City.
It also led Netizens to poke fun at the campaign egging on Sara to run for President.
Sara Duterte is in Singapore.
She says she's on leave & has travel authority from DILG, but refuses to divulge her reasons.
Mayora, may pandemya pa.
What great reason, pray tell, compels you to leave amidst all the suffering in your own city?
'Run, Sara, Run' ka nga talaga.🙄
— Francis Baraan IV (@MrFrankBaraan) April 7, 2021
Other Netizens would even link Sara Duterte’s trip to that of her father’s absence this week.
so walang prescon ang pangulo and suddenly Sara Duterte went to Singapore for a short notice, what’s going on?#NasaanAngPangulo
— shinzu (@jcbrss) April 7, 2021
3 things that are bothering me now:
1. we need proof of life from Duterte
2. is Sara’s trip to Singapore related to #NasaanSiDuterte ?
3. i hope Leni Robredo is safe somewhere and her security personnel have been tripled #DutertePalpak #LetLeniLead— WAWAM (@wawam) April 7, 2021
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier said President Rodrigo Duterte would not be addressing Filipinos until next week due to rising COVID-19 cases.
