Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is confident that a Duterte-Duterte tandem will not win in the May 2022 national polls because Filipinos have already experienced their “brand of service.”
“Let them be rejected. Ako, mas prefer ko ‘yan tumakbo as vice president para dalawang Duterte ire-reject totally ng mga Pilipino (Me, I prefer him to run as vice president so Dutertes will be rejected totally by the Filipinos),” he said on Tuesday, July 13, over Teleradyo.
The former senator is a staunch critic of President Duterte, who is said to be mulling the possibility of running as vice president next year. His daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, backtracked on her earlier statements that she doesn’t want to run as president.
Instead, she said recently that she will heed what the people want, but maintained she will not run with her father. Duterte-Carpio has been topping pre-campaign presidential surveys.
READ: Duterte-Duterte tandem in 2022 'possible,' says Roque
Trillanes alleged that Duterte wants to run as vice president to protect him from the cases that will be filed against him for human rights violations under his administration. There’s an ongoing case against the Chief Executive at the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of his alleged bloody war on drugs.
“It will not protect him pero alam n'yo ang attitude ko diyan is, sige patakbuhin sila, patakbuhin si Sara, presidente. Siya, as vice president, kasi naniniwala naman ako na ‘yung mga Pilipino, hindi na ito pauulitin (but my attitude there is, let them run, let Sara run, president. Duterte, as vice president, because I believe that the Filipinos will reject them),” he said.
“Kasi sinampolan na sila ng kanilang brand of service. Wala eh, talaga lang palpak (Because the Filipinos already had a taste of their brand of service. It’s really a failure),” Trillanes added.
He cited that opposition is not being overconfident, citing an internal survey that shows Duterte lagging.
The 1987 Philippine Constitution does not prohibit the President from running as vice president, but experts said this goes against the spirit of the Constitution on the presidential line of succession.
Still, Trillanes believed that even though Duterte-Carpio rejects the idea of running as president, she would still do so to protect her father from criminal prosecution.
“Misdirections lang 'yan. Pagdating ng filing si Sarah Duterte pa rin ang patatakbuhin (Those are just misdirections. At the filing, it will still be Sara Duterte who they will field),” he said.
It can be recalled that Duterte was a substitute candidate by the PDP-Laban. It was Interior and Local Government Martin Diño who filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) in October 2015 before he stepped down a few months later to make way for Duterte.
The President claimed that he just floated the idea of running as vice president to “scare” opponents, adding that he will only consider if it will be good for the country.
READ: Duterte says his VP bid just a scare tactic
Trillanes understands that the administration has the resources, but noted that no administration bets have won the seat since 1992 and “people clamor for change.”
Also, he added that frontrunners in early presidential surveys have not won in the past elections.