Duterte-Carpio asks supporters to show 'humility'; reiterates plans to instill discipline, patriotism in education curriculum
Presumptive vice president Sara Duterte-Carpio called on her supporters to exercise "humility" toward the camps of losing candidates during her online thanksgiving party on Friday the 13th.
"Tayo na ang maunang lumapit sa mga nakatunggaling supporters ng mga natalong kandidato," Duterte-Carpio said. "We have to be magnanimous...dahil kailangan natin sila para tayo ay maging isang 100% na bansa."
The outgoing Davao City mayor said that what matters now is unity, the long-standing message of their camp led by presumptive president Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who got a record 31.1 million votes.
"Tapusin na natin ang pamomolitika," she said. "Panahon na para kalimutan ang mga kulay ng pagkakahiwa-hiwalay."
As incoming Department of Education (DepEd) secretary, Duterte-Carpio assured the public that she'll push for reforms in the sector, saying it will help Filipino students realize their fullest potential.
"Kailangan natin ngayon ang bagong henerasyon na may disiplina at pagmamahal sa bayan," she said. "Mga batang Pilipino na tutulong sa pamahalaan para sa pagpapanday at pagpapatibay ng kapayapaan at kaunlaran sa ating bansa."
Ahead of the Feb. 8 campaign period, Duterte-Carpio on Jan. 19 had vowed to push for mandatory military service among all adult Filipinos.
At the time, Duterte-Carpio said that if elected, she'll ask the House of Representatives and the Senate to pass a measure conscripting all 18-year-olds into the Armed Forces of the Philippines, of which she's a reservist herself. The move is meant to be an upgrade of her father Rodrigo's plan to revive the mandatory Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in college.
On May 12, however, Duterte-Carpio on Facebook said she has "never discussed anything" about ROTC or DepEd with Bruce Rivera, a lawyer who told One PH in an earlier interview that the presumptive vice president “really wants the return of mandatory ROTC.”
"Any interviews granted by Atty Rivera are his personal thoughts," she said in a statement, noting that Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco is the "only individual who can speak for and in behalf of Sara Duterte at this point."
Thanksgiving program
Duterte-Carpio's virtual event kicked off with a Holy Mass and was followed by a series of performances from guest celebrities and recorded messages from stakeholders, including Marcos Jr. himself.
He thanked the "volunteers" whom he described as the ones behind their camp's "well-organized" campaign rally.
"Walang may kayang gumawa nito ng sarili," the late dictator's son and namesake said. "This victory is mine and Inday Sara's, but it's also yours because without you, we could not have done it."
Giselle Sanchez served as the program's host, while other notable celebrities include Elizabeth Oropesa, Robert Seña, Isay Alvarez, Cesar Montano, Arci Muñoz, and Njel de Mesa, among others.
The performances included a rendition of Michael Jackson's Heal the World.
