Torre denies Davao City mayoral bid announcement

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Nicolas Torre III on Friday clarified that there was no announcement that he is planning to run for mayor in Davao City nor for any other position in the upcoming 2028 elections.

This, as Vice President Sara Duterte said Thursday that he is welcome to file his certificate of candidacy should he wish to run for Davao City mayor.

“Para malinaw: wala akong sinabing tatakbo akong Mayor ng Davao. At wala rin akong inanunsyong pagtakbo sa anumang local o national position,” Torre said in a Facebook post.

(To be clear: I have not said I will run for Mayor of Davao. And I have not announced any intention to run for any local or national position.)

“Kaya huwag muna nating pangunahan ang kuwento. Marami pa tayong trabaho. Sa ngayon, trabaho muna. Ang serbisyo, hindi naman kailangang hintayin ang eleksyon,” he added.

(So let’s not get ahead of the story. We still have a lot of work to do. For now, let’s work first. Public service doesn't have to wait for the elections.)

In a recent interview in Davao City, Sara Duterte was asked for a comment about rumors that Torre is seeking a post in her family’s bailiwick. In response, the Vice President said that everyone is allowed and welcome to file his or her certificate of candidacy and run in the elections in a democratic country.

Posts earlier circulated on social media showing a tarpaulin featuring Torre’s face and below it is a text, “Ingat sa daan!” (Take care on the road)

Torre rose to national prominence when, as head of Police Regional Office 11 (Davao Region), he refused to back down in the face of an uproar from thousands of supporters of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City when serving the arrest warrant against the religious leader for child and sexual abuse charges in 2024.

Torre was later assigned to lead the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), where he spearheaded the serving of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to former president Rodrigo Duterte.

He took over as the 31st PNP chief in June 2025 and served for around two months and three weeks. According to President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr., Torre was suddenly removed from his post because ''did not agree with the directives that were coming out of NAPOLCOM (National Police Commission).'' —VAL, GMA News