President Duterte tops daughter Sara’s Senate slate
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:03 p.m.) — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is running for vice president in the 2022 elections, unveiled Tuesday her picks for the Senate which include her father, President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte-Carpio’s party Lakas – Christian Muslim Democrats said on Twitter that the older Duterte is “number one on her list” of senatorial candidates for next year’s polls.
Mayor Sara Duterte announces her six other senatorial candidates that include Harry Roque, Jinggoy Estrada, Mark Villar, Gibo Teodoro, Herbert Bautista and Loren Legarda. Number one on her list is President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. pic.twitter.com/B5sWP429qk
— LAKAS-CMD (@Lakas_CMDph) December 14, 2021
Lakas-CMD has long been saying that the president is their top choice for senator for 2022, even if he had shunned an alliance with the party as it aligned itself with presidential aspirant and former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., whom Duterte called a “weak leader.”
READ: Political clans form coalition to support Bongbong-Sara tandem
But these remarks were made prior to the announcement of longtime Duterte aide turned senator Christopher “Bong” Go that he would be withdrawing his candidacy for president, which seemed to have prompted realignments among politicians allied with the administration.
Go formally dropped his presidential bid on Tuesday, followed by Duterte's withdrawal from the senatorial race.
As it stands, Duterte has still not endorsed anyone for president in lieu of Go, although he said in an address televised on Monday that his administration will remain "neutral" in the 2022 polls.
Not yet official
Duterte-Carpio endorsed only six senatorial candidates during an event with groups supporting her and Marcos at the Grand Xing Imperial Hotel in Iloilo City.
This excluded her father, but Lakas-CMD later clarified that the president topped her Senate slate. Duterte-Carpio also mentioned that her father is her top senatorial candidate at the Spring Palace Restaurant in Panay.
The six Duterte-Carpio named as her choices for senator are former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, former Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada who is accused of plunder, Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, former Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro and former Public Works Secretary Mark Villar.
Duterte-Carpio also said that Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian is included in her choices for the Senate.
The Davao City mayor clarified that these are just her picks and not yet their slate’s official senatorial lineup.
“Wala pa pong senator slate ang UniTeam dahil hindi pa po naga-announce si Bongbong Marcos, pero mayroon akong kaibigang senator na dala-dala ko na sila dahil kaibigan ko naman sila,” Duterte-Carpio said.
(The UniTeam still has no senatorial slate because Bongbong Marcos has not yet announced, but I am bringing my friends who are running for senator.)
So far, the duo of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio have included Estrada, Roque and Villar in their Senate slate.
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