VP Duterte claims school violence reflects 'weak leadership'

Vice President Sara Duterte laid the blame for recent school violence directly on the national government on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), arguing that a lack of moral authority at the highest levels of power has eroded public respect and discipline among young people.

Speaking to reporters in a chance interview in The Hague, Duterte pointed to what she termed "weak leadership" as the root cause of growing youth unrest and societal breakdown.

“That is happening because those at the top are losing their moral authority—our President, the Cabinet secretaries, and others working in the Office of the President,” Duterte said in Filipino.

She contended that the visible erosion of principle in government has cultivated a self-serving culture across society, including within public administration.

“When that is what people see, they lose respect. Everyone starts looking out only for themselves,” she added. “That is a manifestation of weak leadership.”

Duterte made the comments while visiting her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is set to stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Nov. 30 over alleged crimes against humanity linked to his administration's anti-drug crackdown.

Official government figures put the drug war death toll at over 6,000, though human rights groups estimate more than 30,000 extrajudicial killings, including children as young as three.

The Vice President’s critique comes as she faces her own mounting legal and political battles back home.

She is currently on trial in the Senate impeachment court on charges including the misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and grave threats.

Prosecutors recently concluded their presentation of evidence for Article IV of the impeachment complaint, which addresses alleged threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

When trial proceedings resume Tuesday, senator-judges will begin taking evidence on Article I, which focuses on the alleged fund misuse.