Bongbong on Duterte: I urge him not to leave the presidency

Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is hoping President Rodrigo Duterte will not resign even though the President has named him as among his preferred successors.

"I thank the President for his faith in my abilities," Marcos said in a statement, as shown in a report on News To Go on Friday.

"But I urge him not to leave the Presidency as our people still need him for the betterment of our lives and country."

Duterte on Tuesday said he is ready to step down if the likes of Senator Francis Escudero or Marcos will succeed him in office.

On Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte may turn over the reins of government to Marcos if the former lawmaker succeeds in his bid to unseat Vice President Leni Robredo.

Marcos, son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., is challenging Robredo's victory in the 2016 vice presidential race before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET).

For her part, Robredo just shrugged off Duterte's statement.

"Ayaw kong patulan 'yung mga ganyang statement kasi hindi naman 'yan nakakatulong," Robredo said in the News To Go report.

"Andaming problema ng bansa, asikasuhin na lang mga problema ng bansa kaysa pulitika palagi," she added.

Robredo's election lawyer, Romulo Macalintal, said Duterte is unlikely to resign as Marcos will surely not win his electoral protest. —KBK, GMA News