Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is likely to run for president in the 2022 elections, and was intending to do so since May, according to her ally Albay Rep. Joey Salceda on Wednesday.
President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest daughter has yet to reveal her next move after withdrawing her reelection bid on Tuesday, stirring talk that she would for national office as a substitute candidate before the Nov. 15 deadline.
"She wanted to be president in the first place since May. Because yun naman talaga ang nakikita niya... There were just stumbling blocks towards it," Salceda told ANC.
"She didn't change her mind, she wanted to be president... She would have filed it in the first place if there were no roadblocks to that route towards the president," he said.
Salceda said she last spoke with Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday, the same day that she dropped her reelection bid.
When asked if there was a possibility that Duterte-Carpio would run as the vice president of former Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Salceda said that was mere "speculation."
"Definitely that is speculation. Because she's running for president. All these political gyrations just shows that she's moving towards the presidency," he said, adding that the vice presidency is not an option for her.
"I cannot say confirming. But based on our long-running chats, kilometric chats, I provided her with so many data analytics, big data about her prospects, I think she would make a good president in the first place," he also said.
Pressed further if former Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had something to do with Duterte-Carpio's decision, as was being circulated on social media, Salceda said: "No. Kami lang magkausap since May 2 e, almost everyday."
Salceda said Duterte-Carpio could announce the position she would be running for before Monday, Nov. 15, the last day of candidate substitution for the 2022 elections.
Duterte-Carpio previously said she had no plans of running for president as she filed her candidacy for reelection as mayor for a third and final term.
Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, who was fielded by PDP-Laban for president, said he was open to be substituted by Duterte-Carpio should she decide to seek the presidency.
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