Sara on political dynasty: Election makes it a democratic process

DAVAO CITY – Incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio did not deny that the city is ruled by a “political dynasty” with both her brothers running for representative and vice mayor in next year’s midterm elections but said the freedom of the people to select their leaders makes the process democratic.

“We really cannot deny that. The detractors and opposition will say it’s a political dynasty. Yes, it’s a political dynasty that we are submitting ourselves to an election, it’s still a democratic process,” she told reporters.

Carpio’s younger brother, Sebastian, the youngest son of President Rodrigo R. Duterte with wife Elizabeth, filed his candidacy for vice mayor on Wednesday, two days after Carpio filed hers on Monday.

Paolo, the oldest of the presidential children who resigned from his post as vice mayor in December 2017, also filed his candidacy as representative of the city’s first congressional district last Friday.

“Masama man na magturo ng iba (It’s not good to point finger at people) but it is not only happening here in Davao City. It’s not only here in the Philippines. Kung makita ninyo sa ibang bansa, ganun din yan (What you can see in the other countries, it’s all the same). Usually, when you come from a family of doctors, you become a doctor; when you come from a family of politicians, most likely you will become a politician,” she said.

There’s only one candidate who challenged Carpio for the mayorship – Magdaleno Marcellones – who filed his certificate of candidacy on Wednesday; Susana Uyanguren and Rex Labis filed their certificates of candidacies for District 1 representative challenging Paolo; while Sebastian, who has no experience in politics, is running unopposed.

Carpio was elected as vice mayor from 2007 to 2010, mayor from 2010 to 2013, and elected again as mayor in 2016.

Her older brother Paolo served as barangay chair of Catalunan Grande in the city’s first district from 2007 to 2013, president of Association Barangay Councils of Davao City from 2008 to 2013, vice mayor to his father from 2013 to 2016, and reelected in 2016.

But he announced his resignation months after he and his brother-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio, were dragged into the smuggling controversy as members of the so-called Davao Group, the group allegedly behind the shabu shipment from China that arrived via the Manila International Container in Tondo, Manila on May 16, 2017.

Their father, Rodrigo, was mayor from 1988 to 1998, representative of the first district from 1998 to 2001, mayor from 2001 to 2010, vice mayor to his daughter-mayor from 2010 to 2013, and elected mayor for the seventh time in 2013 with son, Paolo, as vice mayor.