President Rodrigo Duterte said the public should consider him as a possible vice presidential candidate in the 2022 national elections “at this time” even as he admitted that the push for him to run was mere “political posturing” by some who feared he would be treated as a “lame duck” leader.
“That is only leverage in politics. You know what a lame duck is. That is posturing – political posturing so that they would not treat you badly because you are about to step down,” the President said during the sidelines of the inauguration of the LRT Line 2 East extension project yesterday.
“Maybe at this time you can say that – maybe to maintain the equilibrium – consider me a candidate for the vice presidency at this time…. And if I win and the President is not an ally, all I have to do is to join the military and the police in the fight against crime and drugs,” Duterte added.
The President, however, repeated his promise to support House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez should he decide to run for the vice presidency next year.
“So if Romualdez would hang on to that commitment [I will support him.] As I said, [I will run] only if there is space. If there is none, then there is none,” he added.
Duterte’s ruling party, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, earlier adopted a resolution urging him to join the 2022 vice presidential race and choose the party’s standard bearer in the 2022 national elections.
While his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, has emerged as the top choice for the presidency in two recent surveys, the President has consistently rebuffed calls for her to run.
“My parents and I have talked about politics twice in the past month and they have been consistent in expressing their opinion for me not to run for the national post,” Mayor Sara said.
“PRRD said everyone and everything will destroy me if I run and maybe win for President. My mother said she will miss me if I leave Davao City,” she added.