MANILA, Philippines (First published June 19, 7:30 p.m.) — Vice president-elect Sara Duterte will have a distinct branding compared from her father, a political analyst said on Sunday, June 19.
Julio Teehankee, a political science professor from De La Salle University said that Duterte's branding, according to her speech, would be centered on “God” and “Family values,” something which is not usually heard from his father.
“She is setting her own brand, ‘yung kanyang brand of governance, yung kanyang narratibo, distinct sa branding ng kayang ama,” Teehankee said in an interview with ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.
In Duterte's inaugural speech in Davao, she mentioned God five times while also often mentioning the word “family.”
'Populist without the aftertaste'
Despite this distinct branding, Teehanke said that there will still be continuity with his father’s legacy albeit toned down.
To further emphasize his point, Teehanke compared the image of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte to Duterte-Carpio to a beer variation that usually has a "strong" and "lite" flavor.
“All the populist politics minus the strong aftertaste,” he added.
With Duterte-Carpio mentioning issues on gender, Teehanke said that another factor of her distinct branding is belonging to the "millennium generation" which is often in tune with the current issues of the Millenials and Gen Z.
"Ito ang mga problema na hinaharap ng kabataan ngayon, laong lalo na nakita natin to noong mas matindi dalawa or tatlong taon ng pandemic." he said.
Her father often receives flak due to his statements about women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Vision of governance
In her address, Duterte-Carpio told her backstory as an aspiring doctor who ended up a lawyer like her father.
"My younger self was consumed by a dream to become a doctor. I pursued a pathway that I thought could help me realize that dream, but I was directed toward another way. And now I am a lawyer," Duterte-Carpio said in her speech.
Teehankee compared this statement of her to a main character of a movie or a story where one should know where they are “coming from.”
“Diba sa pelikula at sa mga kwento alam natin kung saan nangagaling ang main character? Dito sa speech niya inilatag nya ang kanyang backstory,” Teehanke said referring to Duterte-Carpio’s speech on her doctor-to-lawyer journey.
“Yun ‘yung kanyang backstory and where she is coming from, and where is her vision of governance is kung san niya tayo dadalhin,” he said.
Despite having her oath-taking on Sunday, Duterte-Carpio’s term will officially start at noon on June 30 as stated in the 1987 Constitution. — Intern, Christian Patrick Laqui