President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (File photo)
MANILA – The public is anticipating which presidential candidate President Rodrigo Duterte will endorse because any support coming from him will be a “game-changer”, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar admitted that he himself was also awaiting who the President would endorse after the Duterte-led Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction expressed support for the candidacy of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. through a resolution signed on March 21.
“I’m happy for the President that ---maraming nagtatanong, maraming nag-aabang, kasi nga it’s a game-changer kapag si Presidente ang nag-endorse (there are many asking, many waiting because it’s a game-changer when the President endorses),” Andanar said in a Palace press briefing.
Duterte is expected to attend the campaign rally of PDP-Laban in Lapu-Lapu City Cebu on Thursday.
Andanar said he had no knowledge who among the candidates had sought Duterte’s endorsement as he was not physically present during Duterte’s recent Talk to the People and mini Cabinet meeting on Tuesday night where it may have been brought up.
Asked if Duterte’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday was his last, Andanar said the President had lots of “unfinished business” to take care of.
“Palagay ko, hindi pa, tuluy-tuloy si Presidenteng magtatrabaho. Marami pa siyang unfinished business tulad nitong sa NTF-ELCAC, tulad ng ating pagbangon mula sa negative effects ng Covid-19 at iyong pagsiguro na mayroon tayong (I don’t think it’s his last, the President continues to work. He has a lot of unfinished business like the NTF-ELCAC, rising from the negative effects of Covid-19 and making sure we have a) clean, fair and honest elections this coming May 2022,” he added.
In its March 21 resolution, the PDP-Laban said the decision to endorse Marcos was made after the “careful and exhaustive” deliberations of its national executive committee.
Duterte’s ruling party added that Marcos is “the candidate whose vision of governance is most aligned with PDP-Laban’s 11-point agenda.”
Andanar earlier confirmed that Duterte and Marcos Jr. had a "cordial and productive" meeting a day before the administration party PDP-Laban openly endorsed Marcos’ candidacy.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said the meeting between Duterte and Marcos was one of the factors that led to the PDP-Laban wing endorsement, aside from the various talks and consultations among its members.
He said Duterte also shared with Marcos his experiences as the country’s president and his desire for his successor to continue his policies and programs.
Marcos' political party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), endorsed the candidacy of presidential daughter Sara Duterte as his running mate in next year’s polls.
Sara is running for vice president under Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD). (PNA)
