DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday withdrew her mayoral candidacy, only hours after her younger brother, Sebastian or “Baste,” similarly backed out from his candidacy as vice mayor.
The siblings’ moves fueled speculations that the strong-willed lady mayor will run for President in 2022, either running under her party the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), or she can substitute for one of the aspirants who are allied with her father.
President Duterte has openly sought to persuade his daughter to run, but she has repeatedly said she would rather seek reelection as mayor.
Her father’s party mate and long-time aide when he was still Davao’s mayor, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, had filed his certificate of candidacy for president at the last minute on October 8, fueling suspicion he was a “placeholder” candidate of the PDP-Laban Cusi wing.
“This afternoon I am withdrawing my candidacy for Mayor of Davao City.
VM [vice mayor] Baste will replace me. Atty. Melchor Quitain our Vice Mayor nominee. Just this for now. Thank you very much,” she briefly conveyed in her Facebook official page.
Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony del Rosario, spokesman of the HNP parried a query from BusinessMirror, saying “no comment” to questions if the party was privy to the withdrawal of the candidacies of the Duterte siblings.
Sara Duterte is the incumbent chairman of HNP.
Del Rosario also expectedly declined to reveal the next move of the HNP in the next few hours.
In a post on Tuesday morning, PTV, said, “Just in: VM Baste, Nagwithdraw sa iyang COC [withdrew his certificate of candidacy]…Melchor Jay Quitain Jr. In PTV News Mindanao, Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte withdrew his candidacy as Vice Mayor for Davao City this morning at Comelec-Davao City.”
The PTV post quoted Quitain as saying that “Comelec people” confirmed to him about the withdrawal of Baste.
City Hall insiders said Baste personally went to the Comelec office inside Magsaysay Park and withdrew his candidacy at 10:36 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Office of Mayor Sara Duterte announced it has terminated the services of chief information officer Jefry Tupas after his name figured out in a Sunday night raid of an exclusive party in a posh resort in Pindasan, Mabini, Davao de Oro.
“The former city information officer, Jefry Tupas, of the City Government of Davao was involved in a drug raid last November 6 in the Municipality of Mabini, Province of Davao de Oro. The details of the raid are known only to the PDEA [Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency] officers in Davao de Oro and Ms. Tupas. Last Sunday, Jefry signified his resignation and on the same moment he was informed that he is terminated from work with the City Government of Davao,” the City Mayor’s Office said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.
Tupas clarified he left the party one hour before the raid to ensure that he would not be late for his daily work at the City Hall. PDEA arrested 17 persons, mostly young professionals, and confiscated P1.5 million worth of party drugs.
PDEA said it conducted a buy-bust operation on the birthday celebrant, 33-year-old Revsan Ethelbert P. Elizalde.
Image courtesy of PNA file photo