A few days before the substitution deadline for Election 2022, Sara Duterte-Carpio shocked the public on Tuesday when she withdrew her candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor.
In a Facebook post, Duterte-Carpio said that his brother Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte will replace her to run in the mayoralty race.
“This afternoon, I withdrew my candidacy for Davao City mayor,” Duterte-Carpio said in Filipino on her Facebook page.
The mayor has not yet given a reason to withdraw from the election for mayor.
In an interview, Baste said that he also just followed his sister’s orders.
Hours after, PDP-Laban Cusi wing vice presidential aspirant Sen. Bong Go admitted a change in his candidacy.
“Itong kandidatura ko bilang bise presidente ay maaring magbago. ‘Di maiwasan ‘yung mga changes sa pulitika – na, sabi ko nga, napakadumi. Dito ko na gusto ko magserbisyo sa kapwa kong Pilipino eh merong mga pagbabago pero wala naman akong magagawa,” Go said in a Malasakit Center event on Tuesday, November 9.
He added, “Dahil sa kagustuhan ng ating mahal na Pangulo, kailangan kong umiwas. Malalaman ‘nyo lang po ‘yan sa darating na araw.”
Sara Duterte-Carpio’s decision garnered mixed reactions.
According to the fishermen’s group Pamalakaya (Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas), the possibility of Duterte-Carpio becoming a substitute candidate is a disrespect in the election.
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“We demand the Comelec (Commission on Elections) to reject any attempt of Sara Duterte to become a substitute candidate for a national post. Otherwise, it would be further bastardization of the elections,” they said.
The Kabataan party-list said the Duterte family should stop the “drama.”
“Grabe ang drama ng mga ‘trapo’ (trraditional politician)! Daig pa ang mga Netflix series,” said Kabataan party-list.
The last day set by the Comelec for substitution is on Monday, November 15.
It will be recalled that substitution also paved the way for President Rodrigo Duterte to run in the 2016 elections.
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