By Jennylou Canon

PHOTO: PCOO

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte decided to run for vice presidency as he assumed Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will cancel her plans for the presidency.

Roque said that Duterte stood firmly on delicadeza, saying that only one Duterte will run for the 2022 elections.

“Delicadeza dictates that only one Duterte will run. So since only one Duterte will run, and, in his perception, Mayor Sara will not run then he can run for vice president,” Roque said.

Roque added that Duterte decided to run after Duterte-Carpio’s statement against him and Senator Bong Go to not base their candidacy on whether or not she will run.



But after the president confirmed his decision on Wednesday, Roque said the next day that a part of the Talk to the People address where Duterte said he will not run if Duterte-Carpio runs were edited out as it was a family matter.

“So whoever edited it thought that the matter is a family matter and should be left between father and daughter,” Roque clarified.

The spokesperson added to give Duterte and Duterte-Carpio a “breathing space” to resolve the issue.

“This is a family matter so I would hope the rest of the nation give the father and daughter breathing space to discuss and agree on future course of action,” Roque said.

Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio’s partylist Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) said that the mayor informed them that her decision “will never be based on what other people or other political parties want, do, or say.”