DAVAO CITY – The Presidential daughter has asked his father and his political party to stop mentioning her “as reason for them running or not running” for the top political posts in next year’s election.
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio disclosed on Wednesday that the President has “personally confirmed to me” that he would run for the vice-presidential post and that he would have Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go as his tandem for the top position.
In a statement she posted on Thursday afternoon on Facebook, and a copy of which was also posted in the chat group of Davao City news reporters, she described the Presidential message to her as “not pleasant event”.
She did not say why but said she “strongly suggest” to the President and the senator “to own up publicly their decision to run as a tandem”.
“If they can confirm it privately, then I do not see the reason why they cannot be candid about it to the public,” she said. “They should simply present to the people what they can offer to our country and how they can help our fellow Filipinos.”
She said they should do this “and to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running”.
She said she was left with two letters “for consideration” after she was informed by the President.
One note, she said, “explained why I should endorse the Go-Duterte tandem and the other suggested that I take in Senator Go as my Vice President”.
She also took a swipe at the divided political party of her father, the Pilipino Democratic Party-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), a party that was originally formed by stalwarts in Mindanao of the federal movement and which later became identified with the late Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
“Sen. (Koko) Pimentel and Mr. Ronwald Munsayac should stop blaming me for the sad state of their political party,” she said.
“It is not my fault that no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority. Do not blame me for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to,” she added.
Also, she emphasized, “I am not a ‘Last Two Minutes’ person. I think I organize, and I implement accordingly. In the meantime, I refuse to be a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray”.