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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Palace to opposition: Field 'thousand' candidates in 2022 polls

Palace to opposition: Field 'thousand' candidates in 2022 polls

Published May 25, 2021 05:41 pm

The Duterte administration is unperturbed by the prospect of a united opposition when the Filipino voters elect the new set of leaders in 2022.

Vice President Leni Robredo (OVP/Facebook)

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque even taunted the opposition forces to field as many candidates as they can in next year's presidential polls.

"May there be a thousand candidates for the opposition," Roque said during a televised press briefing Tuesday, May 25.

Roque made the remarks after Vice President Leni Robredo suggested that the opposition camp must unite and field a single standard-bearer to boost its chances in the presidential elections next year.

Robredo, in an online forum Monday, disagreed with having too many opposition contenders against President Duterte's chosen bet, admitting that the incumbent leader remained popular in the country.

READ: Opposition must have a common standard-bearer in 2022 — Robredo

Robredo has kept mum about her plans in the 2022 elections, but her camp claimed that she was open to running for president next year.

The President previously slammed his critics, including those from the opposition, for doing nothing but criticize his government regardless of its efforts to address the pandemic. He has also belittled Robredo's competence, saying she was not fit to become the country's next president.

With Duterte's term nearing its end, some groups have proposed that his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio should consider running for president but the President told her not to follow in his footsteps. He claimed that the presidency was not a job for a woman.

READ: Palace has nothing to do with Sara for President movement, says Roque

Related Tags

Harry Roque Leni Robredo presidential elections 2022 elections 2022 Vice President opposition
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