MANILA: Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was sworn in as the country’s 15th vice president on Sunday, calling for national unity following a divisive election campaign.

“The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation,” she said in an inauguration address in her hometown Davao, where she took the oath of office with her parents standing next to her. Duterte-Carpio, 44, was the running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also won in the May 9 elections and will be sworn in as the country’s president on June 30, when their six-year term begins.

Marcos, the son and namesake of the disgraced dictator driven from power in a 1986 uprising, also took part in the inauguration ceremony attended by Duterte-Carpio’s relatives, allies and supporters.

Published in Dawn,June 20th, 2022