Sara Duterte urges President Duterte, Sen. Bong Go to publicly confirm tandem for 2022 elections

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said in a statement Wednesday, Aug. 25, that her father, President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bong Go are gunning to run for the Top 2 highest position in the land in the 2022 national elections.

“The President, very recently, personally confirmed to me that he will run for vice president and Senator Go as President. It was not a pleasant event,” said Sara.

“I was left with two letters endorsed to me by the President for consideration—one note explained why I should endorse the Go-Duterte tandem, and the other suggested that I take in Senator Go as my Vice President,” she added.

The statement came after President Duterte accepted the nomination of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to run as vice president in the 2022 elections on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

On Wednesday, Aug. 25, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing that the President could still put a halt to his vice presidential bid if his daughter decides to run for the executive post in the elections next year. 

“‘Should Sara decide to run, Bong Go is out. For my part, dahil delicadeza, hindi po puwede dalawa kami diyan. If she runs, out na rin ako’,” Roque said, quoting the President.

In her statement, Sara urged the President and personal-aide-turned-senator Go to “own up publicly their decision to run as a tandem.”

“If they can confirm it privately, then I do not see the reason why they cannot be candid about it to the public. They should simply present to the people what they can offer to our country and how they can help our fellow Filipinos,” she wrote.

“I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running,” she added.

Sara also addressed Sen. Koko Pimentel and PDP-Laban executive director Ron Munsayac to “stop blaming me for the sad state of their political party,” which the presidential daughter said has been “reduced” to a “sitcom.”

Senator Pimentel and Munsayac belong to the faction in the PDP-Laban party where Sen. Manny Pacquiao is being eyed to as its standard bearer.

“I refuse to be a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray,” Sara concluded.

Mayor Sara Duterte has yet to announce her plans for the 2022 national elections.

Banner: Mayor Sara Duterte’s Facebook page, thumbnail photo by Boy Santos/The Philippine STAR