Did Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque cast doubt on the vice presidential bid of President Duterte?
In a virtual press briefing Monday, Sept. 13, Roque said that it was still up in the air who between President Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio would vie for a national position in the May 2022 elections.
"Habang hindi pa po dumarating ang Oct. 8, di pa po natin alam kung sino sa dalawang Duterte ang maghahain ng kanilang certificate of candidacy (For as long as Oct. 8 is yet to pass, we still don't know which of the two Dutertes would file a certificate of candidacy)," the spokesperson said.
He made this remark despite President Duterte's acceptance last week of his nomination as the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party's vice presidential candidate in next year's polls.
Duterte, 76, formally accepted the party's endorsement to the position during its national convention last Sept 8.
Oct. 8 is the final day of the filing of the certificates for candidacy or COC of the May 2022 poll aspirants.
Roque was asked to comment on a statement from the Hugpong Para kay Sara (HPS) Monday morning wherein it appealed to the Duterte patriarch to ditch his vice presidential bid in order to give way to the 43-year-old Duterte-Carpio.
That the elder Duterte must abandon his vice presidential run is significant because the first family has supposedly agreed that only one Duterte would vie for a national position in the May polls. This will eliminate the scenario for a Duterte-Duterte tandem for the presidency and vice presidency.
If her old man voluntarily leaves the picture, the lady mayor could file her COC for the presidency. Duterte-Carpio said last July that she was "open" to running for the country’s top post.
"Alam niyo naman po ang posisyon ko--pagdating po sa usaping mag-ama, hayaan na po natin silang magdesisyon. Ang malinaw, kapareho po ng Presidente at si mayor ay nagkakaisa sa paninindigan na isa lang sa kanila ang pwedeng tumakbo (You know what my position is--when it comes to matters between the father and his daughter, we should just let then decide. What's clear is that the President and the mayor are one under the intention to only field one of them in the elections)," Roque said.
However, there are pundits who believe that the plan all along is for Duterte-Carpio to run for president, with Senator Christopher "Bong" Go serving as her vice presidential candidate.
PDP-Laban members nominated Go, President Duterte's former aide, as party standard-bearer during the Sept. 8 event. However, Go declined it.