MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio was proclaimed the winner of the 2022 presidential race on Tuesday with 32,208,417 (61.53%) official votes cast for her in the May 9 polls.
The president's daughter — she was listed as Sara Duterte in the official ballots — is the first vice president from the Davao region and the third from Mindanao after Emmanuel Pelaez (1961 to 1965) and Teofisto Guingona Jr. (2001-2004).
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Vice President-elect Duterte will be taking over an office that had provided extension services like remote medical consultation during the COVID-19 lockdowns despite a smaller budget and despite being relegated to the sidelines early in her father's administration.
Duterte, who campaigned on the theme of unity alongside President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., will likely be a more collaborative vice president than her predecessor Leni Robredo, who was initially appointed to head the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council but was eventually eased out of Cabinet meetings.
Duterte is set to become the secretary of the Department of Education, replacing public administration professor Leonor Briones.
The education sector was hard hit by COVID-19 as strict lockdowns led to the abrupt transition to remote learning from the traditional in-person classes. With the shift came numerous problems such as spotty internet, and the lack of funds for stable wi-fi and for gadgets required for distance learning.
The department is moving towards progressive face-to-face classes, with over 25,700 public and private schools resuming classes in their facilities,based on data reported on April 22.
Aside from overseeing the progressive expansion of face-to-face classes, Vice President-elect Duterte is expected to also address criticisms of the K-to-12 curriculum, the low pay of teachers, and low rankings in international assessments of education systems.
Shortly after Marcos reported that she has accepted the position as DepEd chief, Duterte said that the country needs a "future generation of patriotic Filipinos that advocate peace and discipline in their respective communities."
Duterte did not attend debates during the campaign period, unlike her rivals for the vice-presidency, but she has made it clear that she plans to push for mandatory military service for all Filipinos aged 18 years old.
Duterte is chair of the Lakas-CMD party, which is set to have control of the House of Representatives through Rep. Martin Romualdez (Leyte), Marcos' cousin and party president who is seen to be the next speaker of the House.