Political mileage which she can harness as part of the ruling party now eludes her. Vice presidents who picked fights with the incumbent presidents and resigned their Cabinet posts were marginalized as what had happened to Emmanuel Pelaez, Fernando Lopez, Salvador laurel, and Teofisto Guingona Jr. History is definitely not on her side.
Curiously, Ms. Duterte may have led in previous opinion polls, but political pundits did not consider her lead as significant to ensure her victory in 2028. The fact is that those surveys were conducted without the names of other emerging presidential aspirants, such as Francis “Chiz” Escudero who replaced Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate president, and newly installed DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara who replaced VP Sara as DepEd secretary.
The vice president’s lead is regarded as unsustainable until 2028. Several political figures could appear on the political horizon to give her stiff competition. Her critics say she is unpredictable and prone to tantrums even in public. Would she be able to slug it out in the open to become a major player in 2028? That remains to be seen.