Duterte waiting for final ruling on Poe DQ

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – After months of sending mixed signals, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he might run for president in the 2016 elections if a final ruling keeps Sen. Grace Poe in the race.

Duterte, who made the announcement during a gathering in Cavite on Saturday, said he could not stomach how Poe has made a mockery of the law of the land by running for president even if she has not proven herself to be a natural-born Filipino. 

“I might run, after all that is happening,” Duterte told the gathering in Cavite.

“This tanim-bala (bullet planting controversy), criminality, corruption, political decision instead of the legal issue on Poe’s citizenship are all symptomatic of the oppression of Filipinos,” he said, referring to the disqualification case against Poe that was dismissed by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

Duterte stressed he had nothing against Poe but laws should be followed, not bent, to accommodate a candidate whose citizenship is under question.

Duterte yesterday revealed Poe had even asked to be his running mate during the period of filing the certificate of candidacy (COC) last October.

“That was before her ranking in the surveys came out on top. She talked to me and asked me that she will run as my vice president,” Duterte said, adding that he turned down Poe because he was not interested in the presidency.

Duterte said he again had a chance to talk with Poe after she was topping the presidential surveys. 

“The second time Poe asked me to be her running mate because she will run for president, but still I told her I was not interested in running for vice president or even president,” he said.

Presumptive citizenship

Duterte clarified during his “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” weekly TV program yesterday that he is also waiting for the SET to reverse its ruling on the disqualification case against Poe after the filing of a motion for reconsideration. 

He described the SET decision allowing Poe to run as “reeking of politics” and the resolution was not based on the legality of the citizenship of the senator. 

He disagreed with the SET decision, saying the disqualification case against Poe was not political but a “constitutional issue.”

Duterte said SET should decide before the Dec. 10 deadline for the substitution of candidates for the May 2016 polls.

“But should SET decide on a later date, it would be that I would have filed my COC for president already,” he said.  –Jess Diaz, Christina Mendez, Mayen Jaymalin, Perseus Echeminada, Alexis Romero