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Duterte won't run for VP in Eleksyon 2022 if daughter Sara pursues presidency —Roque


President Rodrigo Duterte will not run for vice president in 2022 if his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, will pursue a presidential bid, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Wednesday.

Roque, in a message, told reporters that Duterte himself said during his taped weekly address aired Tuesday night that he and Senator Bong Go are not inclined to run for Vice President and President, respectively, in next year's elections if Sara would seek the presidency.

However, that part was edited out from the taped address, he said.

"Yes, I can confirm he (President Duterte) said that," Roque said, adding he is not aware why that part was removed from the taped address.

"If I were to quote him, what he said was, 'Should Sara decide to run, Bong Go is out. For my part, dahil delicadeza, hindi po puwede dalawa kami diyan. If she runs, out na rin ako,'" the presidential spokesperson said in a separate interview over state-run radio.

('For my part, for delicadeza purposes, we Dutertes cannot run for the top two posts. If she runs, then I'm out.')

"Tatakbo ba siya ng Vice President? Ang sagot ay hindi kung tatakbo po si Mayor Sara Duterte sa pagka-Presidente. Tatakbo siya kung hindi tatakbo si Mayor Sara," Roque added.

(Is he running for Vice President? The answer is no if Mayor Sara Duterte will run for President. But he will run [for Vice President] if Mayor Sara will not run [for President].)

Sought for comment, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who was at the briefing told GMA News, "Sabi niya ang PDP-Laban magkakaroon ng meeting sa September 8... He will be nominated as candidate for VP, [Senator Bong Go] naman for President. And he is inclined to accept."

"Pero sabi niya once tumakbo si Sara, a-out na kami ni Senator Bong," Lorenzana said in recounting Duterte's words.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the same thing in an interview on CNN Philippines on Wednesday morning.

"Yes, he said that. 'Yung Duterte-Duterte, he's not convinced that it should happen in 2022," said Nograles, PDP-Laban's executive vice president.

Sought for comment on what's next for PDP-Laban given the President's preconditions, Roque said he cannot speak for the party.

Mayor Duterte has yet to bare her definite plans for 2022 although she has expressed openness in running for President.

In July, however, Anthony del Rosario, secretary general of the Sara Duterte-led Hugpong ng Pagbabago, said she will not run for President if her father will pursue the vice presidency.

Before the President's address, Nograles, in his capacity as PDP-Laban executive vice president, announced that Duterte has agreed to run for vice president next year.

Duterte himself confirmed this in his televised address.  —KBK/KG/NB, GMA News

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