Speaker Sara Duterte in 2019?

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — It’s either a congressional seat or another shot for the mayoralty post for presidential daughter and Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in the 2019 midterm elections.

“Everything is up in the air right now. Probably we will discuss in the party what is best for Davao City. I only have two options to take – either city mayor or Congress,” Sara said at a press conference here yesterday during the official launch of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), a regional political party.

The presidential daughter also categorically ruled out running for senator next year.

On being pushed to run for president in the 2022 elections to replace her father, she said, “It is still the 2019 elections, not 2022.”

When asked if she wants to take the place of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Sara also said, “Everything is still up in the air.”

At least 500 local officials from all over Mindanao joined Hugpong ng Pagbabago at its first meeting yesterday.

Sara emphasized she’s running under HNP in the May 2019 polls, and not under her father’s PDP-Laban.

She also said there was nothing to patch up between her and Alvarez as they are not friends to begin with.

She added they had been at odds over many issues anyway.

On Thursday, the mayor lashed out at Alvarez for calling her part of the opposition after she announced the formation of Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Sara said she also resented Alvarez’s telling friends and allies that Hugpong does not have the approval of the
President.

“Alvarez said that HNP does not have the approval of the President, so whoever is going with HNP is opposition. He also said that I am acting alone which is not true also,” Sara pointed out.

She said she could not understand why Alvarez was attacking her in Davao. She said it was a trusted source – a mayor – who told her about Alvarez’s machinations.

The Speaker earlier denied saying anything derogatory about Sara or the President, claiming she had been fed false information.

In her ‘Sara Zimmerman Duterte’ Facebook account the other day, the mayor called Alvarez an asshole and threatened to reveal to the President the Speaker’s sinister actions.

“How dare you call me part of the opposition. Kapal ng mukha mo. You messed with the wrong girl,” Sara posted the other day on her FB page. 

She said she also got enraged by Alvarez’s reportedly calling her new party a product of political dynasty.

“Those things ignited me yesterday morning after I talked to the mayor na kausap niya. I understand they have a problem in Davao del Norte but I couldn’t understand why he is attacking me in Davao City,” Sara said.

She also revealed that the mayor and source of the information about Alvarez’s alleged backstabbing was not present at yesterday’s launching of the HNP.

“The first convention of the party would have us discussing things that we need to prepare to file to the Comelec for accreditation Hugpong ng Pagbabago as a regional party,” she said.

Sara chairs the party.

Davao Occidental Gov. Claude Bautista is party president, while Davao Oriental Gov. Nelson Dayanghirang is vice president.

Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony del Rosario is secretary-general and Compostela Valley Gov. Tyron Uy, party treasurer.

The local officials stressed that they will be running under HNP in the coming midterm elections and not under any national party.

Uy said he resigned from the ruling PDP-Laban party of which Alvarez is secretary-general. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III is the party’s president.

Del Rosario and Dayanghirang resigned from the Liberal Party last year.

Bautista, on the other hand, said he may also run under HNP even if he is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition which is allied with the administration.

President Duterte earlier downplayed the rift between his daughter and Alvarez, saying it was a product of intrigue.

The President said both Alvarez and Sara are lawyers and they both could handle the situation.