Cebu visit, “Sara All 2022” shirt, fuel speculation that presidential daughter might run for a nat’l post in 2022
(Eagle News) — Davao City mayor Sara Duterte flew to Cebu on Friday, Oct. 22, after recovering from COVID-19, on the same day that presidential candidate former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos was also in the province for a scheduled visit.
The presidential daughter posted photos on her official page showing her alighting from a plane and walking towards the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, wearing a green hoodie with the words “Sara All 2022”.
She also posted photos of her meeting with her cousin, Red Duterte who is a local official in Cebu.
“Magandang gabi sa inyong lahat. Confirmed po ang aking pagbisita sa Cebu. Kausap ko ngayon ang aking pinsan na si Cebu 5th District Board Member Red Duterte. Maraming salamat,” she said in her Facebook post on Friday, Oct. 22.
The posts fueled speculations that she might run as a substitute candidate for a national post in November 15, the COMELEC deadline for the filing of substitution in the 2022 national and local elections.
She had earlier filed a certificate of candidacy seeking reelection as mayor of Davao City.
She had a repeatedly said that she would not run for the presidency amid repeated calls for her to run, including from her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, and members of the ruling PDP-Laban party.
PDP-Laban has fielded Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa at the last minute to be its presidential candidate on Oct. 8, the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2022 polls.
Dela Rosa himself admitted that he was chosen to be the PDP -Laban standard bearer about two hours before the Comelec deadline when it was clear that Mayor Sara would not be able to file her candidacy for a national post.
The following day, Oct. 9, the announcement that Mayor Sara Duterte had tested positive for COVID and was in isolation caring for other family members, was posted on the presidential daughter’s official Facebook page.
Dela Rosa also said he would step aside for Mayor Sara should she decide to run for president later.
-Marcos Jr., says he will wait until Nov. 15 to announce VP bet-
Meanwhile, presidential candidate former Senator Bongbong Marcos was interviewed in Cebu on Friday, saying that he will wait until November 15 to announce his vice-presidential candidate and his senate line-up.
“Meron na, hindi pa nag-finalize dahil nag-iiwan pa kami ng ilang pwesto kasi ‘yong mga hindi nag-file baka mag-substitute pa, na isasama namin,” he told reporters in Cebu in an ambush interview.
“Kaya’t siguro ang pinaka-magandang mangyari is that, what will really happen is that November 15 eh ma-finalize na namin, kasi after November 15 maliwanag na kung sino ang kandidato, sino ang tutuloy, sino ang hindi,” Marcos said.
He was in Cebu to inaugurate a campaign headquarters in Cebu City.
(Eagle News Service)