Move fuels talks she’s running for president
BY ASHZEL HACHERO and RAYMOND AFRICA
DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday announced she is withdrawing her reelection bid in the 2022 elections, further fueling speculations she will seek the presidency in next year’s polls.
Duterte-Carpio did not say what her new plan is.
“Ito lamang po muna (This is all I can say for now),” she said in a Facebook post where she announced her withdrawal.
The presidential daughter made the announcement six days before the November 15 deadline for political parties to replace or substitute candidates.
There have been persistent talks that Duterte-Carpio will eventually be the presidential or vice presidential candidate of a faction of the ruling PDP-Laban party, led by President Duterte and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, or she will team up with former senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The faction’s declared candidates are Sen. Ronald dela Rosa for president and Sen. Christopher Go for vice president.
Go added to the speculations later yesterday as he hinted of a change in his political plans.
An emotional Go, in a speech after giving assistance to fire victims in Antipolo City, said his candidacy may be affected by “dirty politics.” He did not elaborate.
“First time ko pong naluha sa stage… Alam niyo magulo ang politika… Ako po’y kandidato bilang vice president pero marami pong pangyayari sa mga nakaraang oras na mahirap niyong maintindihan (This if the first time I became teary eyed on stage… You know, politics is messy. I am a candidate for vice president but there have been numerous developments in the past hours that you will find hard to understand),” he said.
“Sa politika, 38 days na akong kandidato bilang vice president. Pero siguro dahil sa pagmamahal ko sa mahal na Pangulo… itong kandidatura ko bilang vice president ay maaaring magbago. Hindi po maiwasan, may changes sa politika, sabi ko nga napakadumi (In politics, I’ve been a candidate for vice president for 38 days. But maybe, because of my love for the President … my candidacy as vice president may be affected. This cannot be avoided, there are changes in politics which I said is very dirty),” he added.
Before Duterte-Carpio announced her withdrawal, her brother Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte withdrew his candidacy for reelection.
Duterte-Carpio said Baste will run for mayor instead, and lawyer Melchor Quitain Jr. as their nominee for vice mayor.
Quitain is the son and namesake of the new chief presidential legal counsel. He served as city legal officer of Davao City in 2001 and later as city administrator. Like the President, Quitain earned his law degree from San Beda College though he belonged to a different fraternity, Upsilon Sigma Phi at the University of the Philippines, where he took his pre-law degree.
Duterte-Carpio has repeatedly said was not interested in running for president, but recently expressed willingness to forge an alliance with Marcos, the controversial son and namesake of the late dictator who was overthrown in 1986.
Marcos’ supporters have urged Duterte-Carpio to be his running mate. The Marcos family has for decades been among the Philippines’ most powerful political families.
Duterte-Carpio last week urged her supporters to forego their plans to mount a caravan from Cotabato to Manila to urge her to run for the presidency, saying she has decided not to seek the highest post in the country. In filing her certificate of candidacy as mayor last month, Duterte-Carpio said she wanted to finish her term as city mayor before running for a higher position.
SUBSTITUTION
Go, in his speech, hinted that the substitution of candidates is also a factor in the change.
“Alam niyo ang problema dito about the substitution dito sa politika, maaaring may magbago sa position na tatakbuhan sa mga nakaraang araw. Ang problema diyan ay kailangan kong umiwas. Gustuhin ko mang magsilbi sa inyo bilang inyong vice president, (pero) dahil sa kagustuhan ng ating mahal na pangulo ay kailangan ko pong umiwas.
Malalaman niyo ‘yan sa mga darating na raw (The problem about this substitution of candidates is that it will bring changes in positions. The problem here is I need to give way.
Much as I want to serve as your vice president, but due to the wishes of our beloved President, I need to give way. You will know more in the coming days),” he said.
In an interview after the event, Go said he does not have control over people who still want to run or take the place of aspirants since it is allowed under the law.
“Hindi natin kontrolado ang ibang gustong tumakbo dahil ayon yan sa batas may substitution. Hindi ko alam kung may gusto pang tumakbo at biglang pumalit (I have no control over other individuals who want to run because there is a law on substitution. I do not know if there is anyone who may want to run and take my place),” Go said.
There are talks that Marcos will be Duterte-Carpio’s vice president, based on a supposed agreement brokered by former President Gloria Arroyo, and that there will be a meeting on November 11 to finalize the arrangement.
The other faction in the PDP-Laban is led by presidential aspirant Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III.
Also running for president next year are Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, among others.
MARCOS CASE
Marcos is facing more petitioners at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as 10 individuals are looking to join the initial move to deny due course to his certificate of candidacy (COC) in the May 2022 polls.
In a 64-page petition-in-intervention, 10 individuals led by Rommel Bautista asked the Comelec to be allowed to intervene in the petition to cancel or deny due course to Marcos’ COC for making false material representations.
“The petitioners-intervenors have legal interest in the matter in litigation as they are citizens and registered voters, who are respectfully invoking the Honorable Commission’s mandate to dutifully enforce election laws,” said the petitioners.
“Further proof of the petitioners-intervenors’ legal interest in the outcome of the instant matter is that as educators and victims of the Marcos dictatorship, the candidacy of respondent convicted candidate Marcos, Jr. would render difficult, if not impossible, any unclaimed human rights reparations, the recovery of the bulk of the ill-gotten wealth plundered by the Marcoses and their cronies during the years in power of the deceased dictator Marcos, Sr., and might lead to a white-washing of the gravely inhumane abuses and extremely grand corruption committed by the Marcos dictatorship,” they added.
The petitioners said they agree with the original petition that Marcos must be prevented from running as president because he is a convicted criminal.
“It is crystal clear from the foregoing that a public officer (such as respondent convicted candidate Marcos, Jr.) convicted of a crime penalized under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) shall be perpetually disqualified from holding any public office, to vote, and to participate in any election. The provision is clear and is not subject to any interpretation,” said the petitioners.
They said the original petition was correct in alleging that Marcos made “material misrepresentation” in his COC when he declared that he is eligible to run for president.
“These false material representations of respondent convicted candidate Marcos, Jr. were specifically calibrated to mislead, misinform, and deceive the voting public, knowing that admitting the same would have detrimental fatal effect on his candidacy… (This) necessitates the immediate cancellation of his certificate of candidacy, or that the same be denied due course,” said the petitioners.
Last week, political detainees, human rights advocates, and medical organizations that opposed martial law filed at the Comelec a “Petition to Cancel or Deny Due Course the Certificate of Candidacy for President of Marcos.” The original petitioners said Marcos’ COC contains multiple false material representations. — With Gerard Naval
