MANILA: Philippines “First Daughter” Sara Duterte on Saturday entered the vice-presidential race for the 2022 elections, in a surprise move that could boost the chances of presidential hopeful Ferdinand Marcos Jr winning the country’s highest office.
But her father, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, also flagged plans to contest the vice presidency — triggering chaotic scenes at the Commission on Elections office handling last-minute changes to candidacies ahead of a Monday cutoff.
The elder Duterte “will file his certificate of candidacy for the vice-presidency on Monday, that’s what he said”, presidential communications chief Martin Andanar told the local broadcaster ABS-CBN.
But he added: “I would like to believe that that is the plan for now. We don’t know if this will be the same plan by tomorrow or by Monday.”
Duterte-Carpio had been widely expected to run for president in a bid to succeed her father, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second six-year term and is facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court into his deadly war on drugs.
A lawyer and an army reserve officer, she has been involved in politics in her family’s home city in the southern Philippines since 2007, becoming vice mayor before succeeding her father as mayor. She has joined President Duterte in meetings with world leaders in the past.
For months, she had insisted she wanted to serve another term as Davao City mayor, despite consistently leading in public opinion surveys of voter preferences for the next president.
Speculation about her plans intensified this week after she suddenly withdrew from the mayoral contest, quit her regional party and joined Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, the national party of her close ally and former president Gloria Arroyo.
“I thank my supporters. I hope whatever happens in the next few days, I will be able to give them what they want,” she told reporters on Thursday on the sidelines of a wedding.
Duterte-Carpio’s decision to run for vice president leaves Marcos Jr, whose father looted the country of billions of dollars, in a strong position for the presidency.
Popularly known as Bongbong, Marcos Jr has been running second in voter surveys, ahead of celebrity mayor Francisco Domagoso, boxing great Manny Pacquiao and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo.
There was speculation that Duterte-Carpio had sought to persuade Marcos Jr to slide back into the vice-presidential race and create a formidable alliance between the two clans.
In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately.
The Marcos family stronghold stretches across the country’s north and centre, while the Dutertes enjoy widespread support in the south.
But Marcos Jr, who was at the same wedding on Thursday and was seen walking arm-in-arm with Duterte-Carpio, told reporters, “I will continue with my plan. I entered this race to run for president”.
“[Duterte-Carpio] running for the vice presidency … more or less seals Bongbong Marcos’ position as the top contender, the candidate to beat in these elections,” political analyst Richard Heydarian told AFP.
The elder Duterte had previously said he would contest the vice presidency, before changing his mind and announcing plans to retire from politics.
But on Saturday, Duterte accompanied his close aide Senator Christopher Go to the Commission of Elections office. Go officially entered the presidential contest, after previously registering for the vice presidential race.
Heydarian said approval ratings for Sara Duterte-Carpio and her father had slipped in recent months, with the momentum shifting “in favour of Marcos”.
If she were to win the election, it would keep “a Duterte near the top and well positioned for a 2028 run”, said Mark Thompson, political science professor and director of the Southeast Asia Research Centre at City University of Hong Kong.
Duterte-Carpio’s decision sparked a mixed reaction from her fans, with some praising the move, while others expressed disappointment she would not seek the presidency.
“Ma’am please run for president, please do not abandon the legacy of your father,” a supporter posted on Facebook.
The presidential bid of Marcos Jr, meanwhile, already faces challenges.
Opponents have asked the Commission on Elections to disqualify him from the race over previous convictions for failing to file tax returns several decades ago.
If Marcos Jr were to win office, it would cap a remarkable political comeback since a popular uprising in 1986 against staggering corruption toppled his father and chased the family into exile in the United States.
