President Duterte will step aside if his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will run for president next year as the Chief Executive thinks that two Dutertes running for national posts in the 2022 elections does not look good.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement following reports that Duterte was considering not pursuing his vice presidential bid if his daughter will run for president in next year's polls.
In an interview with Radyo Pilipinas on August 25, Roque said President Duterte clarified the conditions of his political plans in his public address on Tuesday evening. This portion, however, was edited out of the final cut.
"If I were to quote him: 'Should Sara decide to run, Bong Go is out. For my part, dahil (because of) delicadeza, hindi pwede dalawa kami diyan. If she runs, out na rin ako (the of us running cannot happen. So if she runs, I'm out),'" Roque said, quoting President Duterte.
"Yung pinakita po sa 'Talk to the People', yun po yung tinanong siya kung hindi po tatakbo si Mayor Sara ay tatakbo siya (The one we saw in the 'Talk to the People' last night was his response to a question that he will run if Mayor Sara will not run)," he added.
However, Roque, in a text message, said he was not sure why that particular part of the President's speech was not included in the final cut of his pre-recorded public address.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who serves as executive vice president of the ruling PDP-Laban, likewise confirmed Duterte's unaired remarks.
"Yes, he said that if Mayor Sara runs then he is considering not running for Vice President," Nograles told CNN Philippines on Wednesday morning, August 25.
"I don't know what the exact words were said... But I do recall na sinabi niya na pag Duterte-Duterte, he (President Duterte) said na hindi siya convinced na dapat mangyari (But I do recall him saying that if it's Duterte-Duterte, he is not convinced that it should happen)," he added.
Nograles said, as far as PDP-Laban is concerned, Duterte is still their candidate for vice president.
"Right now, we'll cross the bridge when we get there," he said.
On Tuesday, President Duterte confirmed that he will for vice president in 2022 to continue his crusade against illegal drugs, insurgency, and criminality, among others.