Duranos get endorsement from Sara

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CEBU CITY — After earlier declaring she would not endorse any local candidates, Vice President Sara Duterte has now openly expressed her support for the influential Durano political clan of Danao City.

Photos taken during her recent visit to the city show Duterte raising the hands of incumbent Danao Mayor Thomas Mark Durano, who is running for Congress as representative of Cebu's fifth district against Rep. Duke Frasco.

The vice president also expressed support to Vice Mayor Ramon Durano III who is running for mayor, City Councilor Ivy Durano who is seeking the vice mayoral post, and Poro town mayoral candidate Red Durano.

BLOOD IS THICKER Vice President Sara Duterte (left) raises the hand of Danao City Mayor Thomas Mark Durano, who is seeking a seat as fifth district representative of Cebu. DANAO CITY LGU PHOTO

Her endorsement for the Duranos came during an unannounced visit to Danao City early this week where she went to the public cemetery to search for the burial site of her paternal great-grandfather Facundo Duterte.

She also attended a mass at Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish dedicated for her great-grandparents Facundo and Zoila Duterte, mingled with supporters at the public market, and joined the Durano family for breakfast.

She was welcomed and accompanied throughout by several members of the Durano family, who are her relatives through the Duterte lineage in Cebu.

In a joint statement on Friday, the Durano clan thanked the vice president for her support.

"Mapasalamaton mi sa endorso nga gikan ni VP Sara Duterte. Kini naghatag namo ug kadasig nga ipadayon ang maayong panggobyerno labi na ang programa sa panginabuhian ug trabaho sa mga taga Danao ug sa tibuok Kinto Distrito (We are grateful for the endorsement from Vice President Sara Duterte. This gives us the encouragement to continue good governance, especially programs focused on livelihood and employment for the people of Danao and the entire Fifth District)," read the statement.

Mayor Durano, in his own statement, said his decision to run for Congress was guided by a deep commitment to replicating the progress he has led in the city across the entire district.

"When I chose to run as fifth district representative this May 2025, I believed the time was right. With three decades of public service behind me, I'm ready in body, heart, mind, and spirit to bring to the district the same roadmap, execution and progress we've built in my city," he said.

He also said real change comes through steady work and results.

The endorsement was a shift from Duterte's earlier position, where she had said she would refrain from backing local bets.

In her visit, she was also seen with gubernatorial candidate Pamela Baricuatro whom she described as a long-time friend. She, however, clarified that the meeting was not an endorsement to her candidacy.

"Wala naman na ganoon. Pero kaibigan ko naman si Ms. Pam Baricuatro ... kaya hindi po odd or awkward sa amin magkausap at magkita (There's nothing like that. But Ms. Pam Baricuatro is a friend of mine ... so it's not odd or awkward for us to talk or see each other)," Duterte had said in an earlier interview.

Baricuatro, who is running against Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, likewise issued a statement underscoring that their encounter was "spontaneous and not political."

The vice president said her presence in Cebu was focused on thanking supporters for their continued backing of her office and her father, who is currently detained in The Hague over allegations of crimes against humanity.

Her endorsement of the Durano family, however, marks the first local alliance she has openly supported for the 2025 midterm elections.

Among around 50 local government units here, Danao City is the only local government unit in Cebu province whose sitting officials are not members of One Cebu, the ruling party led by Garcia.

In 2022, former Tourism secretary Ace Durano ran for Cebu governor but lost by a landslide to Garcia.