Avoids clash with daughter in VP race
BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and GERARD NAVAL
AFTER all the drama, President Duterte yesterday filed his certificate of candidacy for senator in the 2022 elections under the Pederalisimo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS).
Duterte substituted for Mona Liza Visorde who withdrew her candidacy for senator yesterday, said Melvin Matibag, secretary general of the Cusi-Duterte faction of the administration party PDP-Laban.
Lawyer Melchor Jaemond Aranas filed the certificate of candidacy (COC) for Duterte at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila.
It was not clear when the President joined PDDS under which his long-time aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, is running for president.
Go was the PDP-Laban’s vice presidential candidate until he withdrew last Saturday and filed his certificate of candidacy for president under the PDDS.
The Cusi faction of the PDP-Laban originally had Duterte as vice presidential candidate but the President later dropped the plan. Duterte has also floated the idea of running for senator.
His daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, joined the Lakas-CMD party of former President Gloria Arroyo last week after quitting from her local party and then withdrawing her candidacy for reelection. She is now seeking the vice presidency.
The President has said only one Duterte will run for a national post. He said on Saturday he was not consulted about his daughter’s decision to run for vice president and that her decision might have been influenced by the camp of former senator and now presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Duterte asked why his daughter, who ranked first in electoral surveys, agreed to run for vice president.
Duterte has also said he will retire after his term ends in 2022.
Matibag, asked why Duterte ran under PDDS instead of the PDP Laban, said it is for the “same reason that we said yesterday (Sunday) why SBG (Go) used PDDS.”
The PDP-Laban said Go filed his candidacy under PDDS as the leadership issue in ruling party has yet to be resolved by the Comelec. He also said PDDS is a close ally of the PDP-Laban.
PDP-Laban faction president Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said Duterte “would be an excellent senator and his leadership qualities and experience would no doubt be a welcome addition to the Senate.”
Cusi also said the alliance between PDP-Laban and PDDS will intensify its campaign for Duterte and for all our national and local candidates of both parties.
Majority leader Martin Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president, said Duterte-Carpio move run for vice president “did not originate” from Arroyo, reacting to reports that Arroyo brokered between the mayor and Marcos.
Romualdez also denied there was a meeting, planned or canceled, among Arroyo, Duterte-Carpio and Marcos in Balesin last week where Duterte-Carpio attended the birthday celebration of her friend Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco.
“There was no summons for former Senator Bongbong Marcos to go to Balesin,” he said.
From the beginning, Romualdez said, Lakas-CMD, “was publicly committed to any national aspirations of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.”
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, in his last briefing as Duterte’s spokesman, said the father-daughter relationship remains all right even if they are running under different parties.
Roque said the President may, however, be displeased after his daughter failed to consult him over her political decisions.
Roque stepped down as spokesman yesterday to run for senator.
Newly-retired PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar also filed his COC for senator to replace Paolo de Andres of Partido Para sa Demokratikong Reporma.
He said he decided to run for senator after being invited by presidential aspirant Sen. Ping Lacson, who is also a former PNP chief.
“He (Lacson) is my idol. I saw how the PNP was when he was the PNP chief. Our advocacies and programs are much aligned,” said Eleazar.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III dropped his plan to run for senator.
“I repeatedly stated that if Sara doesn’t run for president, I won’t run for senator. Given the latest development, it appears she will no longer run for president,” he said.
Among other individuals who filed yesterday, the last day for substitution, are Ramon Mitra for Jesus Durian (senator, Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino) and Joseph Jocson for Loreto Tenolete (senator, Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino).
Meanwhile, the Comelec set for November 26 the preliminary conference in the petition to cancel or deny due course to Marcos’ candidacy.
Asked how soon can the Comelec Second Division can resolve the case, Elaiza David, director of the Comelec’s Education and Information Department, said, “We cannot tell.
Hopefully, within the year.” — With Wendell Vigilia
