With over two months left before the May 2022 elections, Malacañang said President Duterte is still not endorsing any presidential aspirant at this time.
Echoing Duterte's earlier pronouncement, Cabinet secretary and acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said he is not yet supporting any presidential candidate "unless there is a compelling reason" for him to do so.
"So far, ganoon pa rin po ang stand ni Pangulo (That is still the President's stand)," he said in a virtual Palace briefing on Friday, Feb. 18.
Duterte earlier endorsed the presidential bid of his long-time aide Senator Bong Go but the latter withdrew from the race.
Meanwhile, Nograles said that President Duterte is not expected to physically campaign for his endorsed senatorial candidates as it is not in his calendar.
"With regard to physically joining the senatorial candidates ay wala pong (there are still no) official entries in his official calendar to that effect," Nograles noted.
Three senatorial aspirants have so far gotten the nod of Duterte for the May 9 polls--former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, former senator JV Ejercito, and former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) chairperson Greco Belgica.