Vice President Sara Duterte faced more than 5,000 participants at a pre-dawn run in Davao City on Sunday, arriving as a guest to thank supporters who gathered to run in honor of Hu former president Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Long before sunrise, people were already gathering at the starting line — some stretching, some praying, others standing still in the dim morning light, waiting for the gun to fire.
Participants came from across Davao Region and nearby provinces, filling the streets and bound by a single purpose: To run for former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, “Tatay Digong,” who is now detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
The mood was emotional and unusually hushed for an event of this size. That quiet broke when Vice President Sara Duterte stepped onstage. Cheers rolled across the crowd, then quickly faded as she raised the microphone. What followed was a silence heavy with devotion, frustration, and hope.
“On behalf of the family, we thank you for your prayers and your continued support to former president Rodrigo Duterte,” she said, her voice carrying over the runners — parents with young children, teenagers in DU30 shirts, entire barangay groups standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
She then addressed a viral social-media rumor claiming the former president had been found unconscious inside his ICC cell. Her tone hardened.
“Dili to tinuod ug walay nahitabo na ing-ato… Ingun nya nga maybe it was just a prank by many of my supporters (It wasn’t true, and nothing like that happened… He said maybe it was just a prank by many of my supporters),”
she said.
A ripple of relief moved through the crowd; some nodded, others quietly wiped away tears.
VP Sara also spoke about the family’s pending appeal before the ICC, calling it both a legal fight and a matter of faith.
“We hope to hear good news for the public hearing on the appeal for his interim release on November 28. But if not, the family will continue to support him in his stay in The Hague. And of course continue to work with his defense team with regard to his legal case,” the vice president said.
Moments later, she led the countdown and fired the starting signal. The runners surged forward — thousands of footsteps moving in unison, driven by loyalty, hope, and a shared belief in their cause.
Several participants said the event felt nothing like a fun run. It felt like a promise, a public vow that distance and detention would not loosen their support.
Organizers said they prepared for a large crowd but still did not expect the turnout they witnessed.
For many supporters, this wasn’t a race at all.
It was a message: “Padayon (Keep going), Tatay Digong. Davao is still with you.”