Human rights group Karapatan has denounced the plan of President Duterte to run for vice president in the upcoming national and local elections in May 2022.

With this plan of Duterte, it is " undeniably clear" that he " wants immunity as a shameless ploy for impunity," the group said.

"President Duterte knows that cases for his bloody crimes against the Filipino people are waiting for him once his term ends. He knows he cannot escape any of them, including the cases against him before the International Criminal Court," Karapatan said in a statement on Tuesday, July 20.

"However, a vice president is not immune from any suit, which only makes his bid an insidious machination to secure the line of succession in the presidency — and presidential immunity — and to cement himself in power not only to slip away from accountability, but to also install his rotten dynasty and to continue his reign of fascist terror," it added.

Karapatan said that Duterte’s "desperation to run and secure the vice president post is evident."

"Clearly, President Duterte cowers in fear in the idea of accountability: he will do anything and everything to escape it. It is also clear that the people must frustrate his devilish plans and end his tyrannical and murderous rule once and for all," it said.

In his speech last July 17, President Duterte said he might run for vice president in the 2022 elections as it would give him immunity from any lawsuits.

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