Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (File photo)
MANILA – Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Wednesday claimed that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will likely run for president in next year's elections.
Salceda made the claim after Sara withdrew her reelection bid and named her brother, Vice Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, as her substitute on Tuesday.
In an interview with ANC Headstart, Salceda said Sara wanted to run for presidency since May, noting that running for vice president was not an option for her.
"Kasi may presumption kami (Because we have presumption) that she’s running for president," Salceda said. "There’s no VP option for her and picking a VP for her is not a problem."
Salceda said the presidential daughter will likely run under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party if she aims for the highest post in the land.
In a Facebook post, the presidential daughter said her brother, who has also officially backed out of the vice mayoral race, will now be substituted by lawyer Melchor Quitain Jr.
“This is all for now. Thank you very much,” Sara added.
Around 13 minutes after her announcement on her Facebook account, more than 11,000 netizens commented and 30,000 have already shared the post. The netizens expressed excitement and happiness about the presidential daughter’s decision.
Like his sister, Baste announced his withdrawal via Facebook and thanked the Dabawenyos for the support they have given him. He later proceeded to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office here to withdraw his candidacy right after his sister's own withdrawal.
“I have filed my withdrawal as Vice Mayor candidate of Davao City. I hereby nominate Atty. Melchor Quitain Jr. as my substitute,” he said. (PNA)
