LAWYER Israelito Torreon has voiced support for a proposed 2028 tandem of Sara Zimmerman Duterte for president and Sebastian Zimmerman Duterte for vice president, calling it a choice “for the good of the nation.”
Torreon made the statement as early political discussions on the 2028 elections gain traction, even as no official candidacies have been declared. He paired his endorsement with a call for electoral reforms, stressing that leadership choices must go hand in hand with credible and transparent election processes.
He urged the full implementation of Section 31 of Republic Act No. 9369, which requires manual vote counting at the precinct level alongside electronic transmission of results. Torreon said the hybrid system would strengthen public trust by ensuring ballots are physically read and verified in the presence of election watchers before being transmitted digitally.
According to him, this approach would create a clearer audit trail per precinct and address long-standing concerns over discrepancies between actual votes cast and reported results. He added that the lack of visible, precinct-level verification has fueled skepticism among some voters.
“Even a strong Duterte-Duterte tandem could see votes miscounted if Section 31 isn’t fully implemented,” Torreon said, citing lingering concerns following the 2025 midterm elections.
He also called for accountability among officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) allegedly resisting the implementation of election laws. Torreon suggested possible congressional inquiries or Senate Blue Ribbon Committee proceedings to examine claims of mismanagement or non-compliance.
Torreon urged voters to look beyond political preferences and consider institutional reforms, emphasizing that the credibility of future elections depends on both leadership and the systems used to count and report votes.
His remarks highlight key issues shaping early 2028 discourse: support for a Duterte-led tandem, the push for manual precinct-level vote counting, and calls for accountability among election officials.
As political conversations intensify ahead of the polls, Torreon stressed that safeguarding transparency and maintaining voter confidence must remain a national priority. DEF