2 Dutertes in 2022 race? Panelo not surprised

MANILA, Philippines — The possible tandem of President Duterte and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in the 2022 presidential elections does not surprise presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.

Since the swapping of political posts of the father-and-daughter tandem has been tried and tested in their home province, Panelo thinks this possibility will not be far from becoming a reality two to three years to the next national elections.

“I’m not surprised! That has been done before in the City of Davao, when both of them ran as mayor and vice mayor (and vice-versa),” he said yesterday.

Although Duterte had repeatedly said he could no longer run as president, Panelo said there is no law that would prevent him from taking a shot at the vice presidency while his daughter Sara closes in on the presidency.

“Whether he wants to run again, that’s his call; but that has been the emerging… idea,” the presidential spokesman said.

“Among people… there should be a Duterte-Duterte tandem in the next presidential elections. The President is not prohibited from running as vice president,” the chief presidential legal counsel added.

Duterte merely smiled when Panelo told him about the survey which saw father and daughter emerging as top bets in 2022.

“I told him last night and he smiled,” Panelo said. “If you speak of possibilities, then it’s limitless. Everything’s possible.”

Although Duterte said he is tired of being president, he did not discount the possibility that he might run again for political office.

“If circumstances require him to run, he might,” Panelo said, adding that Duterte didn’t want to run for president in 2016 and had many complaints.

The independent and non-commissioned survey dubbed “Pahayag VisMin 2019” showed Duterte-Carpio topping the list of 21 potential candidates for president, with 35 percent of the respondents selecting her. She was followed by Sen. Grace Poe with 11 percent; Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, 7.8 percent; Sen. Manny Pacquiao, 5.5 percent; Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, 4.6 percent and Sen. Bong Go, 4.5 percent.