President Rodrigo Duterte is thinking about a possible bid for vice presidency in the 2022 national elections, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Duterte’s party, PDP-Laban, earlier urged Duterte to seek the vice presidency in upcoming national polls and adopted a resolution urging Duterte to choose his running mate for president.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte was pondering on what’s best for the Philippines.
Roque also refuted Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes’ claim that Duterte was building a “Duterte dynasty.”
“Unang-una paano po magkakaroon ng plano, e wala pa pong desisyon ang presidente, ang sinabi lang po niya pag-iisipan niya dahil siya ay na-nominate, hindi naman pupuwedeng balewalain iyon. So dahil wala pa pong desisyon patunay po iyan na walang plano,” Roque said.
Despite rifts within PDP-Laban, Roque said Duterte still considered Sen. Manny Pacquiao, the acting party president, an ally.
“Wala naman pong nangyaring pagbabago bagamat natuloy po iyong PDP-Laban, he remains to be party president as of now,” Roque said.
PDP-Laban earlier convened upon the call of the party vice chairman, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, despite Pacquiao leadingr a boycott.
Roque later clarified that it was Duterte who directed Cusi to hold the meeting. John Ezekiel J. Hirro