At A Glance
- Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte says he would need to get his family's blessing first, should he decide to pursue a Senate seat.
- But he has 'no inkling' to run for higher office right now.
Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte (Facebook)
Is Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte going to run for senator in 2025?
Apparently, Rep. Duterte's family will have a huge say on whether or not the second-term congressman would aim for a Senate seat in the next midterm elections.
He said that even during the term of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, some people had already tried to convince him to run for senator.
"And I can be honest that it crossed my mind to run when a few people are encouraging me to vie for a Senate seat, especially during the presidency of my father, Rodrigo Duterte. But I don't think it would be that easy. Hindi madaling iwan ang mga taong matagal ko nang pinagsisilbihan -- ang mga Dabawenyos,” the younger Duterte pointed out.
(Leaving behind the Dabawenyos--the people who I have served for so long--won't be easy.)
“Lastly I have to ask my family's blessing since they will be the ones who would be most affected by all the black propaganda that would surely surface when election season comes," he said.
Rep. Duterte was Davao City vice mayor when his father's presidency began in 2016. He has since ran for congressman twice, winning on both occasions.
But as of now, Rep. Duterte says he has "no inkling" of running for a higher position in the future.
“[Aside from] the fact that I do not have the capacity to finance a nationwide campaign, what little I have saved is allotted for my retirement and for the education of my children," he added.
At any rate, Rep. Duterte said he was "overwhelmed" by his constant inclusion in the "Magic 12" of senatorial surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and other independent polling firms. This means that he is a viable senatorial candidate in 2025.
But the Davao congressman said a Duterte president and a Duterte vice president were enough contributions of their family to the country.
Incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte is his sister.