Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Wednesday, Sept. 1 named six political personalities being paired as her possible runningmate in the 2022 presidential race but the list excludes Sen. Imee Marcos whom her father, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed to have made a bid to become her vice presidential partner.
Senators Christopher “Bong Go”, Sherwin Gatchalian and Sonny Angara were mentioned by the city mayor as among those being paired with her. She , said Go and Gatchalian have ‘personally expressed their offer to run as my Vice President.” She said former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. is being endorsed by “common friends”, referring to former Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr who accompanied Teodoro to see her in Davao City a few months ago.
“I have read from news reports of the possibility of a tandem: FS Bongbong Marcos,” she said.
“I know of certain groups wanting to form a tandem but I cannot confirm if these are true,” the local executive said.
She then named House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Angara in this category.
Romualdez's possible run for vice president was endorsed by President Duterte who just recently declared his intention to file his candidacy for the second highest government position in the country.
Despite the speculations and endorsements for her to make a move to replace her father in 2022, Mayor Duterte has continued to keep secret her real intention next year.
However, the presidential daughter made it clear that she will not run for president if her father will make good his vice presidential bid.
In the same statement, the city mayor repeated her denial of a report in a political website on a supposed strained relationship between her and Go, together with her father's partner, Honeylet Avanceña.
“This is not true, I do not hold a grudge against Senator Go concerning his relationship with PRRD. I am not the keeper of the President, he is allowed to have friends as I am,” she stated.
The Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) chairperson added: “And why would I be furious about the need for an appointment to see the President, what matters is I get to see the President.”
Reacting to another item about her supposed quarrel with her father and Go, Sara stressed that she is not “envious of the power they hold.: “This is the first time I have heard of ‘regular political fund allocation”. Those who know me can certainly say that money do not fascinate me, the thnings that I desire in life have no monetary value,” Mayor Duterte stressed.