By Deighton Acuin

PHOTO: MindaNews

Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said President Rodrigo Duterte “anointing” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to run as his successor is a “height of political dynasty.”

Carpio said one of the reasons why opposition coalition 1Sambayan was formed because of the potential Duterte-Duterte tandem in the 2022 national elections.

"A president anointing his own daughter as his successor, I think that’s the height of political dynasty," he told ANC's Headstart Thursday.

"The Constitution says political dynasties shall be restricted according to law. The only problem is Congress has failed to enact the law. We cannot allow this to happen,” he added.

Carpio said the coalition must take a “strong position” because the Chief Executive is bringing his political dynasty to national level.

He also denied Duterte-Carpio’s accusation the coalition was “authoritarian” because it rejects “so many who do not agree with them.”

"We have made our position clear. We are against extrajudicial killings, against violation of human rights, we are against political dynasties and all of these can be attributed to the President," he said.

"We have talked to everybody who could be a potential candidate under our qualification standards. We have talked to everybody from the legal left to the legal right...and everybody in between. I think this is the broadest coalition that have been put together for a very long time,” Carpio added.

Meanwhile, the opposition coalition said it cannot field Senator Manny Pacquiao to be one of its candidates since he is not qualified.

"As congressman, Pacquiao was the number one absentee. He was the topnotcher in absences in Congress. As senator, he was again number 1 in absences. So that basic qualification is not there," Carpio said.

"Manny Pacquiao may have a good heart but running the country of 100 million people requires competence... We cannot have a President who is absent,” the former magistrate added.


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