Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi’s group on Tuesday, Sept. 7 said the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) has not yet considered Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as a potential alternative presidential candidate in the May 2022 elections.
Cusi said the group is standing pat on its decision to field Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go as their presidential candidate, and President Rodrigo Duterte, as their vice-presidential candidate in the upcoming polls.
“We have not discussed that. They have not reached out to us. We have no basis to even discuss it this time,” Cusi said in a virtual briefing ahead of the party’s national convention on Sept. 8, Wednesday in Pampanga.
“I don’t like to answer that because there a lot of things to be taken into consideration and it’s not only me who would make that decision,” Cusi added.
Cusi also noted that Go has repeatedly said he should be last in the party’s presidential contenders. Thus, he said, they are strongly considering Go as the party's standard bearer.
“Nung sinabi niyan, hindi naman niya sinarado ang pinto...The party naman is trying to determine who can best run the country... Hindi naman natin dini-discount na wala si Bong Go (When he said, that means his door is open. The party is trying to determine who can best run the country. We’re not discounting Bong Go),” Cusi said.
Go has repeatedly said he is not interested in running for president. But he later admitted that he had offered himself as Sara Duterte’s running mate should she decide to join the presidential race.
The Davao City mayor, who chairs the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), has been quoted saying she is open to running in the May 2022 national elections.