BOCAUE, Bulacan - "Fly, soar, fight and, win"

Calling on Filipinos to be like the mighty eagle, vice-presidential aspirant Sara Duterte saidthey should never give up.

"Stand tall, united, and be resilient," Duterte said during the UniTeam proclamation rally at the Philippine Arena here on Tuesday.

The outgoing Davao City mayor said she want three things for Filipinos -- jobs and livelihood, quality education, and a peaceful life.

"Tatlo lang, pero hindi madali. At hindi po tayo susuko. Magpupursigi po tayo dahil mahal natin ang Pilipinas (Just three things but they won't be easy. But we will not give up. We will persevere because we love the Philippines)," she said.

"Nakita namin firsthand ang hirap na pinagdadaanan ng ating mga kababayan (We saw firsthand the struggles of our countrymen), despite the overwhelming support of our government and the private sector. Pero wala'y mupildi sa Pilipino. Parang pagmomotorsiklo sa buong Pilipinas, lisod, pero (But no one can defeat the Filipino. It's like riding on a motorcycle all over the Philippines, it's hard, but) we can do better. Government can do better. We shall stand tall, united, and resilient," she said.

Duterte was referring to the Typhoon Odette devastation she saw in communities during her "Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas Ride" in the Visayas and Mindanao.

She said the past two years have been "a very challenging time for everyone of us".

"Kung ano man ang problema na meron tayo noon, pinalala pa ito ng (Whatever problems we had before, they were made worse by the) pandemic," she said.

But Duterte said the country "shall move forward".

"We will live with Covid and we will bounce back like never before," she said.

Duterte said her tandem with presidential bet, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is "endowed with wisdom and experience".

She said she believes in Marcos' abilities to lead, owing from his vast experience as a local chief executive and legislator.

Such experiences, Duterte said, is needed to "not only sustain the growth and development spurred by the current administration, but also bring us to a more prosperous future".

"We must protect President Bongbong Marcos," she added.

Proclamation rallies of national candidates signaled the start of the 90-day campaign leading to the May 9 polls. (PR)