Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio further fueled rumors of her seeking higher office in the 2022 elections as she announced her withdrawal from reelection on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, Duterte-Carpio said she had withdrawn her candidacy and her spot would be taken over by her brother, Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte.
“Ngayong hapon wini-withdraw ko ang aking kandidatura sa pagka-Mayor ng Davao City. Si VM Baste ang papalit sa akin. Ito lamang po muna. Maraming salamat po,” she said.
Sebastian earlier on Tuesday withdrew his reelection bid for the 2022 elections, saying it was upon the advice of Sara.
“I have filed my withdrawal as vice mayor Candidate of Davao City. I hereby nominate Atty. Melchor Quitain Jr. as my substitute. I am deeply grateful to the Dabawenyos for the support they have given me all this time. I have no other details to share at the moment.” he told reporters.
PDP-Laban shuffle?
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said his vice-presidential bid might change due to substitution.
“Maaaring may magbabago sa mga tatakbong posisyon sa mga darating na araw, ang problema po d’yan, kailangan ko umiwas. Gustuhin ko man pong magsilbi sa inyo bilang bise presidente dahil sa kagustuhan ng mahal na pangulo, kailangan ko pong umiwas. Malalaman n’yo po ‘yan sa mga darating na araw,” Go said in a speech in Antipolo City.
Candidates have until Nov. 15 to decide on their substitutions.
Go himself was a surprise substitute to President Rodrigo Duterte, who had intended to run for vice president but backed out due to public outcry.
Since he backed out from the 2022 polls, Duterte has been pushing his daughter to vie for the presidency with Go, his aide of over two decades, as running-mate.
Sen. Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, the running-mate of Go, has expressed willingness to be substituted by Duterte-Carpio if the presidential daughter decided to run for president.
Duterte-Carpio leads the Hugpong ng Pagbabago regional party and is not a member of PDP-Laban. John Ezekiel J. Hirro