Leaders of the Hugpong Para kay Sara (HPS) movement on Monday appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte not to run for Vice President in the 2022 elections and instead give way to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s stand that only one from their family can run for a post in next year’s polls.
HPS, a citizens’ movement urging Mayor Sara to run for the president in the 2022 national elections, launched Monday with over 15,000 supporters, chapter members, and officers taking their oath during a virtual launch.
The citizen’s movement aims to persuade Duterte-Carpio to throw her hat into the presidential derby in the upcoming elections, something she has refused as of late.
House Deputy Speaker and HPS Secretary-General Bernadette Herrera, one the movement’s leaders who were sworn into office during the virtual ceremony, said the movement is not tied to any traditional party, thus giving it a unique credibility and flexibility to negotiate through the corridors of Philippine politics.
HPS is chaired by House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, a known ally of the Davao mayor. Other prominent members include former Dangerous Drugs Board chief Dionisio Santiago, ex-Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco, and House appropriations panel chair Rep. Eric Yap.
Meanwhile, a legislator from the so-called “Solid North” batted for the possible tandem of Duterte-Carpio and former Senator Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos as President and Vice President, should the former decide to run next year.
“I think this is the best team that can lead the country in the next six years due to their combined experience and genuine empathy for the common folk of this country,” said Abra Rep. Joseph Bermas, who is also the Vice President for special concerns of HPS.
“Sure, I say this because I and former Senator Marcos are both from the north. But it would be very difficult to argue that this team is the most qualified for the jobs of President and Vice President,” he stressed.
During the virtual ceremony, members from other regions in the country, as well as supporters in the Middle East, Canada and the USA, pledged their loyalty and gave “shout-outs” through various social media platforms, encouraging Mayor Duterte-Carpio to seek the highest post in the land.
“We share a common aspiration – to effect true and lasting change for the country. We believe Mayor Sara is the perfect person to be President, with her personality and being confident, yet quiet and reserved pero palaban at may totoong malasakit para sa bayan,” Herrera said.
Former Davao del Norte Governor and HPS Chairman Anthony Del Rosario, who led the oath-taking, said: “Mayor Sara has always been consistent that only one Duterte can run for national office in 2022.”
“As the newly-appointed leaders of this movement, aside from trying to convince Mayor Sara to run for the highest post in the land, we want to respectfully persuade President Duterte not to run. This way, the country gets the benefit of considering the best candidate for the job, and that is her daughter,” he said.
Mayor Duterte-Carpio has consistently led the list of Filipinos’ top bets for President in all independent surveys conducted so far.
In two non-commissioned polls conducted from July to August, both Pulse Asia and the OCTA Research Group, in their 2022 national elections survey, indicated the Davao Mayor remains the most preferred candidate, with 28 percent of the respondents voting for her if elections were held on the day they were interviewed.
The President’s daughter announced last week that she would no longer consider the presidency after her father accepted his nomination as vice presidential candidate of PDP-Laban.
Mayor Duterte-Carpio cited an agreement in their family that only one of them can run for a national post in next year’s polls.
HPS is a confluence of sectoral organizations and concerned individuals in the country and worldwide, from different walks of life, professions, and political inclinations, who banded together to provide research and support to Mayor Duterte.