‘It is Sara-Go’: Duterte tells Philippine media his daughter will run for president

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter will run for president in next year’s election and her father’s long-time aide, who filed his vice presidential candidacy, will be her running mate, broadcasting firm ABS-CBN news reported late on Saturday.

Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the third-largest city in the Philippines, and filed on Saturday to run for mayor again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year.

ABS-CBN news based its report on an interview that the president had with a broadcast journalist on Saturday right after he announced that he was retiring from politics while accompanying his closest loyalist Senator Christopher “Bong” Go to file his vice-presidential candidacy.

He was asked: “So is it clear, Sara-Go?” “It is Sara-Go,” Duterte said in response.

When asked to confirm what the president said, Duterte-Carpio’s spokeswoman, Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco said: “The extent of my knowledge is also what was reported in local news. We have no comment on the same.” Go did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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ABS-CBN news said it obtained permission from the broadcast journalist to use the video showing Duterte outside a hotel in Manila where the registration of candidates was taking place, and that a transcript was also provided.

In the same clip, Duterte was asked when his daughter would file her candidacy for president, he said: “I really do not know. I do not have any idea at all”.

Asked if he had given his daughter permission to run for president, he said: “Ah, no, actually we don’t talk about politics, ever since we never talk about politics. I would say that it is for the better,” Duterte was quoted as saying.

Duterte, 76, said on Saturday he was retiring from politics, a surprise move that fuelled speculation he was clearing the way for a presidential run by his daughter.

He had been expected to run for the No. 2 job, a plan most Filipinos oppose as violating the spirit of the constitution which sets a one-term limit for the president to stop power being abused.

Duterte-Carpio’s mayoral re-election filing did little to douse speculation she has her eye on the presidency.

Analysts say it is crucial for Duterte to have a loyal successor to insulate him from potential legal action – at home or by the International Criminal Court – over the thousands of state killings in his war on drugs since 2016.

Candidates have until October 8 to register, but withdrawals and substitutions are allowed until November 15, leaving scope for last-minute changes of heart.

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Just as her father did, Duterte-Carpio, 43, trained as a lawyer before entering politics in 2007 when she was voted in as her father’s vice-mayor.

In 2010, she succeeded Duterte to become the first female mayor of Davao. Her image is as down-to-Earth as that of her father in a country where tough plays well.

She is also no stranger to presidential events and overseas trips, serving as first lady due to her father’s annulled marriage.

In July, Duterte-Caprio launched a Facebook page with a video saying she wanted the public to get to know her, while “run, Sara, run” banners, posters and T-shirts have popped up across the Philippines.

Last month, she said several politicians had offered to be her running mate.

Though she has never held national office, Duterte-Carpio is by far the most popular presidential prospect, showed successive opinion polls this year.

Duterte’s political party has yet to officially nominate its presidential candidate and Duterte-Carpio belongs to a different party.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse