Presidential aspirant and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, said that he respects the decision of the Davao City Mayor and Presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio to run for a national office.
In an official statement given by lawyer Vic Rodriguez, Marcos' chief of staff and spokesperson., the former senator said that "such an idea deserves respect and any comment for or against it is very inappropriate. In the meantime, let’s just all wait for what her decision would be." This came about after Duterte-Carpio withdrew her reelection as mayor on Tuesday, November 9, as speculations grew that she will join Marcos as vice president or serve as a substitute for Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the official candidate of the ruling party PDP-Laban Cusi faction for president.
Rodriguez also said in the statement that Marcos "aspires for the presidency and has filed his COC (certificate of candidacy). The petition to cancel it is obviously a nuisance case as viewed by known and respectable legal experts from the law universities of Ateneo and UST." It can be recalled that Marcos and Duterte-Carpio had a reported chance meeting in Cebu last October 23.
A photograph showing Davao City businessman Samuel Uy raising the hands of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio was also circulated during the said meeting in Cebu.
Duterte-Carpio confirmed the photographs she had with Marcos while attending the birthday celebration of Rep. Yedda Romualdez, the Tingog Sinirangan partylist congresswoman and wife of House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez. (Melvin Sarangay)