MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has backed out from the Senate race, formally withdrawing on Tuesday his candidacy for senator in the 2022 elections.
Duterte personally filed his statement of withdrawal with the Commission on Elections, accompanied by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, as seen in a photo posted by the poll body’s spokesperson James Jimenez.
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The president's withdrawal from the Senate race came just hours after he was endorsed by his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, for senator and after his long-time aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, officially withdrew his candidacy for president.
With Duterte dropping his Senate bid after the November 15 deadline for the substitution of candidates who withdrew, no one from the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan, which he ran under, can substitute for him.
However, Duterte can still substitute for a candidate with the same surname until midday of Election Day if they die or get disqualified.
Duterte had vacillated on his political plans for 2022, with him first toying with the idea of running for vice president to evade legal suits after his term as president, then announcing that he was retiring from politics, and then filing his candidacy for senator. — Xave Gregorio