By Deighton Acuin

PHOTO: ABS-CBN News

Malacañang on Friday said the looming calls for Duterte-Duterte tandem in 2022 national elections are not from the government.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement referring to a 2022 ticket where Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio as President while his father, President Rodrigo Duterte as Vice President.

Roque added an expression of personal opinion should not be construed as an official position.

“Hindi po galing sa gobyerno yang Duterte-Duterte,” Roque said at a Palace briefing.

“Kung merong mga taong gobyerno na nag-e-express, ‘yan po ay personal na opinyon po nila,” Roque added.

The Palace official said one of Duterte’s marching orders is to address the coronavirus pandemic that left 12,000 succumbed individuals and over four million joblessness.

However, the Chief Executive earlier bared that his long-time aide and now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has plans for the presidency while he asked Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III if the latter wants to become a candidate for a senatorial seat.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo floated a Duterte-Duterte tandem last year, while a faction of the President's PDP-Laban party is also in favor of the President running for vice president in May 2022.

Senator Panfilo Lacson also said on Friday that the country is not ready for a Duterte-Duterte leadership which would be a de-facto Davao city governance.

President Duterte’s term ends on June 30, 2022.


RELATED ARTICLE: GMA News