Roque 'praying' for a Sara Duterte prexy bid in Eleksyon 2022, says he'll only run under her

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Wednesday said he is among those praying that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, will seek the presidency in 2022.

Interviewed on ANC, Roque also said he would only run for Senate if Sara will run for president in the 2022 elections.

“I would run with the administration, but I think I will only run if Mayor Inday Sara will run for the position of president,” Roque said when asked if he would run under the ruling party, PDP-Laban, should he decide to seek a Senate seat.

Roque explained that he is affiliated with the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s political group, People’s Reform Party (PRP), which has forged an alliance with the Sara Duterte-led Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).

“I think as a card-bearing member of the PRP, the party of Miriam Defensor-Santiago, it is Inday Sara, I believe, who has the same qualities as Miriam Defensor-Santiago to become president. I am one of those who are praying that Mayor Sara will in fact seek the presidency,” he said.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Roque said he is thinking about running for an elective post in 2022, although he admitted that it is a hard decision to make given the huge funding needed to mount a national campaign.

The presidential spokesperson, in the ANC interview, also cited his health condition as one of the “worries” that he considers before running for an elective post.

Moreover, Roque also said he disagrees with President Duterte, who repeatedly discouraged Sara from running for president because, according to the President, the post is not for a woman

“I don't agree with that,” Roque said

He, however, explained that the President wanted to “merely emphasize” that he doesn’t want his family members to experience the same hardships he went through as the country's top leader.

“I think the President merely emphasized that given the hardships of being President, he doesn’t wish it to his family, which is understandable coming from a good father,” he said.

“But I think Mayor Sara will eventually make up her mind and she will have to decide on her own regardless of what her father says," Roque added.

In an interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy aired Tuesday night, Duterte said he has asked Sara not to “commit the mistake of running for the presidency.”

The younger Duterte remained tight-lipped about her plans for 2022. She has previously said she has no intention of running for president.

This, despite the presidential daughter emerging as the number one choice for president, based on the recent results of a Pulse Asia survey. —KBK, GMA News