President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday announced he would skip the US-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit scheduled for May 11 to 13 as his successor could be named by then.
“May invitation kasi ako sa Amerika na to join the Asean…to have a dialogue with (US President Joe Biden). Ang problema kasi…by that time, tapos na ang eleksyon, may — malaman na natin kung sino ang bagong presidente,” Duterte said in a “Talk to the People” address.
Duterte said it would be a bad look on him to attend the summit with his successor already known to the public.
“[T]here might be some agreements or commitments that will be made there and ang mahirap kasi kung ako ang nandoon, I might take a stand that would not be acceptable to the next administration,” he said.
Duterte has yet to endorse a presidential candidate to be his successor, the reason behind his reluctance being the fact that he was still using public funds.
However, he has endorsed the vice-presidential bid of his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Duterte-Carpio is running alongside Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., whom her father has called a “weak leader.”
Duterte said he had some individuals he wanted to endorse but he was trying to “avoid politicking” to steer clear from possible election violations.
Marcos and Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo are the top two frontrunners to succeeding Duterte, according to several nationwide surveys. John Ezekiel J. Hirro