Nothing is set in stone yet, but if it is God’s will, President Rodrigo Duterte will run for the vice presidency next year, Malacañang said on Monday.
In a virtual presser, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said that the president was still awaiting a message from God to dictate his course of action.
“A message from God because he has left it to God,” Roque said after he was asked what could prompt Duterte to run for the second-highest executive position.
“I guess, if the president thinks it is God’s will, he will make the proper announcement in due course,” he added.
Duterte’s party, PDP-Laban, on Monday urged Duterte to seek the vice presidency in the 2022 national elections.
Earlier this year, the PDP-Laban party distributed a “unified manifesto” urging the 75-year-old Duterte to run for vice president. Sen. Manny Pacquiao, acting president of PDP-Laban, said the resolution was not authorized.
The party’s national council also voted on Monday for a resolution urging Duterte to choose his running mate for president.
Duterte earlier said his top aide Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go wanted to run for the presidency.
His daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is also being floated as a presidential candidate in 2022.
Duterte was not present in the meeting where PDP-Laban adopted the resolutions due to his full schedule, according to Roque. John Ezekiel J. Hirro