2 yıl önce

Daughter of Philippine President steps down from mayoral race

Duterte’s daughter, although insisting that she does not want to take her father’s position, has hinted at a possible alliance with a presidential candidate.

Reuters Archive

The Duterte family have run Davao for over thirty years.

The daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte-Carpio, has removed herself from the running for mayor of Davao City.

She announced her decision on Tuesday, just days away from a deadline to change candidates for a presidential election next year.

"This afternoon I am withdrawing my candidacy for mayor of Davao City," she said, announcing her brother Sebastian, her vice mayor, will run instead.

Duterte-Carpio, who has been widely tipped to run to succeed her father, did not say why she was withdrawing from the mayoral contest.

She told supporters on Facebook that further announcements would be made later.

The 43-year-old led opinion polls throughout this year as the most preferred candidate for president, but has repeatedly said she was not interested in running for president.

A possible alliance

The Philippines holds elections in May 2022 for positions from president down to governors, mayors and local officials. The window for changing candidates expires on November 15.

President Duterte, 76, cannot seek a second term under the constitution, and plans to retire.

His daughter is hugely popular and the family enjoys considerable political clout in the south of the country, having run Davao for more than three decades.

Other candidates for the presidency include senator and retired boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, former actor and Manila mayor Francisco Domagoso, incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Despite insisting that she does not want to be president, Duterte-Carpio has expressed willingness to forge an alliance with presidential candidate Marcos, the controversial son and namesake of the late dictator who was overthrown in 1986.

The Marcos family has for decades been among the Philippines' most powerful political families. Marcos' supporters have urged Duterte-Carpio, who is known by her nickname Inday, to be his running mate.

Aides to Duterte-Carpio and Marcos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Political analyst Edmund Tayao said it was not immediately clear what exactly Duterte-Carpio's intentions were, but it was unlikely she would take on Marcos.

"If we are going to speculate what her options are, either she will be the vice president of Bongbong Marcos, or maybe they will change position with Inday running for president and Bongbong as vice president," he said.