Philippine President President Rodrigo Duterte has said that he is “seriously thinking” of running for vice president in general elections set for May 2022, doubling down on previous comments about the possibility and provoking criticism from opponents who say he is simply trying to cling to power.
Duterte, a bombastic former mayor who shocked the nation and much of the world when he overwhelmingly won the 2016 presidential race and proceeded to launch a bloody war on drugs, is barred from seeking reelection by the constitution, which only permits single six-year terms.
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But in the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected separately, and don’t even need to come from the same party. The current vice president, Leni Robredo, is one of Duterte’s staunchest critics.
Although the 76-year-old Duterte has repeatedly said he is too tired to even make it through his presidential term, he had floated the vice presidency bid before. On Wednesday, however, he gave some of the strongest hints yet that he is onboard with the plan.
In a televised meeting with party allies, he said he was “touched by the outpouring of sentiments” encouraging him.
“To the proposition that I run for vice president, I’m slightly sold to the idea. So meaning to say, I am seriously thinking of running for vice president,” the 76-year-old leader said.
Duterte said last month that running for the vice presidency is a “good idea” since he has a lot of unfinished business, which he did not elaborate on.
But some critics see Duterte’s potential vice presidential bid as a term extension by other means. Should he win, he could become president if the new leader dies, resigns or is removed from the post, according to the constitution. In the new position, Duterte may also be shielded from accountability and lawsuits that are usually filed once a president loses his legal immunity upon his term’s end.
During his time in office, Duterte launched a brutal crackdown on drugs that rights groups say claimed the lives of at least 20,000 mostly poor Filipinos, attacked the press that resulted in the shutdown of the Philippines’ biggest broadcaster ABS-CBN, and weakened democratic institutions.
Lawyer Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the Philippine constitution, has said that a president running for the second highest post is a “backdoor” to the presidency and is against the intent of the charter.
As the presidential election draws closer, there are also growing concerns over the possibility that Duterte’s daughter Sara, who took his position as Davao City mayor when he won the presidency in 2016, may run for the top job.
“If his child were to become the president, especially, he will just say ‘step down now and I’ll take over the presidency,’” Monsod said in a radio interview on Thursday, adding that he’s willing to challenge this in the Supreme Court.
Despite international and even local criticism, Duterte remains popular in the Philippines, and opinion polls show favorable results for his daughter as well. The opposition has yet to choose candidates strong enough to run against Duterte and his allies.
But in-fighting in Duterte’s party is heating up as members discuss support for other high-profile potential candidates for the presidency, including boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao.
A household name in the Philippines, Pacquiao is also a popular and viable presidential bet, according to opinion polls. He is the president of Duterte’s party, and had been one of his staunchest defenders. But Duterte and Pacquiao have recently been locked in a war of words over the administration’s pandemic response and alleged corruption in the government, prompting speculation that Pacquiao may face off with the Dutertes in the election.
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