Six months after vehement declarations that she had no intention to run for president in the 2022 elections, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has said she is now open to the possibility of succeeding her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, in Malacañang.
STATEMENT
During a July 9 visit to Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia at the Cebu provincial capitol, Duterte-Carpio entertained a few questions from the media. Part of the Q & A went this way:
“Question: Wala pa kayong decision (You haven’t decided), ma’am, if you will run for president in 2022?
Duterte-Carpio: Wa. Ang importante sa pagkakaron is mahibalhan namo kung unsay ginaho muna sa mga tao unsay gusto sa mga tao. (None. What is important now is that we know the sentiments of the people and what they really want.)
Question: But you’re open to it [running for president]?
Duterte-Carpio: Yes. Opo (yes).
Source: Sugbo News, LIVE from Capitol: Sara Duterte visit, July 9, 2021, watch from 19:20 to 19:40
FACT
Although Duterte-Carpio had said she has not decided yet about running for president in the May 2022 elections, her latest statement indicated a change of heart toward the possibility of seeking higher office. She has been topping the list of preferred candidates for president, based on recent surveys.
On Jan. 30, Duterte-Carpio appealed to her supporters, who mobilized a “Run, Sara, Run for President for 2022” movement, to wait until 2034 “if, at that time, there is something [she] can do to help the country.” She has been advising the public to not contribute to any “fund-raising activity or campaign money solicitation” for her candidacy.
In a Feb. 22 guesting on government-owned Davao City Disaster Radio, the two-term Davao City mayor said:
“Is there a chance na magbago ako ang hinauna sa pagkakaron? No. There’s no chance magbago ako ng hinauna. Kung sa aking mga rason, I do not want to enumerate the reasons. At dili naman siya isa, daghan siya. Because mataas na ang istorya. And … maka-offend or naimo na ma-hurt ang mga tao.”
(Is there a chance that I would change my mind (after declining to run in January 2021)?. No! There’s no chance. What’s my reason (to seek the presidency)? I do not want to enumerate the reasons because there’s a lot. I just don’t want to offend or hurt anybody.)
Source: Davao City Disaster Radio official Facebook page, Special Hour with Mayor Sara Duterte, Feb. 22, 2021, watch from 1:13:11 to 1:13:37
Duterte, who has been publicly dissuading his daughter from running for president, said in a Feb. 28 media interview that the Davao City mayor does not intend to run because she wants to take care of her three young children.
In June, Duterte-Carpio said she was “rethinking” her earlier decision after partymates in Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) asked her to decide again in July whether to run or not.
Asked about the purpose of the visit to Cebu, the Davao City mayor said she wanted to discuss the issue with her supporters in the province. Last February, tarpaulins put up by her supporters in vote-rich Cebu urging her to run for president were ordered removed for lack of permit. She said then that she will return soon to the province to “scan” the environment ahead of the 2022 polls.
According to reports, several political figures, such as 2010 defeated presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro, have visited her in Davao City, offering to be her vice presidential running mate in next year’s elections.
However, Duterte-Carpio has ruled out the possibility of teaming up with her father for a “Duterte-Duterte” tandem in 2022, with her as the presidential bet. This came after the president’s supporters in the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) approved a resolution in May urging him to run for vice president.
While there have been contrasting views on whether a sitting president is allowed under the Constitution to run for vice president, Duterte said he is “seriously thinking” about joining the vice presidential race, describing it as a “good idea.” (See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Palace sings different tune on Duterte’s 2022 bid for VP – Vera Files)
In various speeches since 2017, Duterte has been discouraging his daughter from running for president, saying it was “not a woman’s job.” In a June 8 interview, he even recalled cautioning her from running because she will only suffer from character assassination if she wins as president.
But Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque recently contradicted Duterte’s public pronouncements, saying the president was really urging his daughter to vie for the highest post. Roque, who declared his intention to run for senator if Duterte-Carpio seeks the presidency, said in a June 29 press briefing that the president’s daughter has been disregarding her father’s wish.
(See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Roque contradicts Dutertes on Sara’s ‘presidential bid’ – Vera Files
So far, Duterte has not denied Roque’s claim. Duterte-Carpio, meantime, said in a June 29 statement that both of her parents have been “consistent in expressing their opinion for me not to run for a national post.”
In the runup to the 2016 presidential elections, then 70-year-old Duterte repeatedly thumbed down calls for him to run for president due to old age, lack of campaign funds and opposition of his family, particularly Duterte-Carpio, among other reasons.
But Duterte changed his mind and withdrew his candidacy for re-election as mayor of Davao City, where he served a total of 22 years. He eventually filed his certificate of candidacy for president in November 2015 through Salvador Medialdea, who later became his executive secretary. The PDP-Laban gave its nomination to Duterte in lieu of Martin Dino, currently an undersecretary at the Department of Interior and Local Government.
The Commission on Elections has set for Oct. 1 to 8 the filing of certificates of candidacy for the May 2022 elections. The period for substitution of a candidate who withdraws, dies or is disqualified is until Nov. 15, but those petitioning to substitute a candidate with the same surname have until mid-day of the 2022 polls.
