Nothing has changed in the political bids of presidential aspirant former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City re-electionist Mayor Sara Duterte in the wake of the many speculations that pervaded the political atmosphere following their Cebu encounter on Saturday, Oct. 23.
This, despite a photograph showing Davao City businessman Samuel Uy raising the hands of Marcos and Duterte during a reported chance meeting in Cebu on Saturday.
The photograph stirred rumors that Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, will be substituting for a vice presidential candidacy in tandem with Marcos. She has filed a candidacy for re-election.
“BBM (Marcos) is absolutely running for president,” declared lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Bongbong’s chief of staff.
Mayor Duterte has issued a statement confirming photographs she had with Marcos while attending the birthday celebration of Rep. Yedda Romualdez, who represents the Tingog Sinirangan partylist which is based in Waray-speaking provinces of Leyte, Samar and Biliran.
“Confirmed po na nagkita kami ngayon lang sa masayang pagdiriwang ng birthday ni Cong. Yedda, maybahay ni House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez sa Cebu. (It’s confirmed that we met during the birthday celebration of Cong. Yedda, the wife of House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, in Cebu),” Duterte said in her official Facebook page.
Marcos and Romualdez, who represents Leyte’s first district, are first cousins.
The Marcos camp described the meeting between Marcos and Duterte as “just another beautiful coincidence.”
The alleged chance encounter, however, stirred a lot of political buzz with critics and supporters of the two giants in national politics debating on its various aspects in the absence of official disclosures as to what was actually discussed.
Among the popular speculations was that Marcos, who went there with his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, and his cousins, wanted to convince the Davao City mayor to join him as his vice presidential candidate.
Marcos has not yet named a running mate for the 2022 polls.
Rumors have also been raised that the situation is the opposite although this may seem unlikely to happen as Duterte has declared a number of times that she will not seek the presidency.