Clamor made Sara change heart
Ally sees continuity in ‘Daughterte’ presidency
People keep texting Mayor Sara and when they meet her, they would always tell her to reconsider her objection to seeking the presidency
The “strong clamor” of the people for her to succeed her father had made Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio have “a change of heart” and finally decided to consider the presidency.
Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) secretary-general Anthony del Rosario disclosed this to the Daily Tribune on Saturday, believing that such a clamor arose due to the “performance” of her father, President Rodrigo Duterte since he assumed the presidency in 2016.
“We have seen that the President accomplished a lot in the last five years and recent surveys have shown that he remains to be a very popular president, his trust ratings among Filipinos remained high,” Del Rosario said.
Duterte-Carpio, administration supporters believed, is the only person who can continue what the President has started. “They see no one else except for his daughter, Mayor Sara,” he noted.
Duterte-Carpio is the chairperson of HnP, a regional political party composed of governors in the Davao Region.
“If you recall, in January she actually said ‘no,’ that she’s not running… plain and straightforward ‘no.’ But of course, you know, a lot of people have been urging her to reconsider her position with regards to that running,” Del Rosario explained.
Duterte-Carpio, administration supporters believed, is the only person who can continue what the President has started.
“Of course, throughout the last few months, since January, we really see that there’s really a clamor for Mayor Sara to seek the presidency in 2022,” he added.
The official further disclosed that both the public and private sectors have been strongly encouraging her to run for president in the next elections since January 2021.
“People keep texting Mayor Sara and when they meet her, they would always tell her to reconsider her objection to seeking the presidency. Now, throughout the months, she eventually changed her mind,” he shared.
“I will repeat, this is really because of the calling of the people, from governors even to the business sectors — both private and public sectors — there’s really a calling. People are really urging her to run for president,” he stressed.
Cebu visit
However, Del Rosario clarified that Duterte-Carpio’s visit to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia last Friday was not part of “consultative tours” as he maintained that it was only a “courtesy call.”
Duterte-Carpio was there to ask the local government of Cebu of its “experiences” from managing the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority as the Davao region is set to have its own Davao International Airport Authority (DIAA).
In 30 August 2019, the President has signed the Republic Act 11457, or the law creating DIAA to manage the Francisco Bangoy International Airport and other airports in the region.
Although it was not a consultative tour, Duterte-Carpio also asked advice from Garcia, the Duterte family’s ally, about how to “proceed with consultations” with the Cebuanos.
“This only means that she hasn’t started the consultations yet. She already said in her interview in Cebu that she wanted to know what Cebuanos think of her bid for president. At some point, in the near future, I could imagine, she will already start her consultations but it hasn’t started yet as of today,” Del Rosario stressed.
HnP is not following any timetable yet concerning Duterte-Carpio’s consultative tour as the president’s daughter has yet to formally announce to the party her presidential bid.
Nevertheless, Del Rosario is certain that Garcia would support Duterte-Carpio’s presidency, citing their close relationship.
“Governor Gwen and the Duterte family members are good friends. As a matter of fact, in the 2019 elections, when Governor Gwen ran for governor, Mayor Sara and HnP supported her. We went there to support and campaign for her,” he said.
Cebu is considered the country’s most vote-rich province with at least three million votes.
At least 1.1 million Cebuanos voted for then-Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections, an outcome perceived as the result of the endorsement of One Cebu Party, which was then led by Winston Garcia.
Duterte-Carpio on Friday revealed that she is “open” to running for the top government post next year.
This was the first time that the local chief executive became upfront with her possible presidential run following months of being mum when asked about her plans for the next polls.