(UPDATE 2) Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte will run for vice president, Comelec said Saturday substituting for her Lakas-CMD partymate, Lyle Uy.
It was not immediately clear who her running mate would be. Ex-senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said earlier on Saturday that she asked Duterte-Carpio to run with him.
Duterte-Carpio's representative, lawyer Charo Munsayac, filed the substitution documents two days before the Nov. 15 deadline.
"This is to confirm that Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, through her representative, has filed her Certificate of Candidacy for Vice President under Lakas-CMD," Duterte-Carpio's spokesperson Christina Frasco told reportr in a text message.
It was a whirlwind of political developments last week for Duterte-Carpio. She dropped her reelection bid, quit her own party, met a close ally in Balesin Island, joined former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Lakas-CMD, stood as a wedding sponsor with Marcos Jr., then retreated back to Davao.
The eldest daughter and political heiress of President Rodrigo Duterte, 43-year-old Duterte-Carpio was the top choice for president in surveys done before candidacies were filed last October.
With Duterte-Carpio running for vice president, Marcos will be up against the leader of the opposition, Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson.
"It was a surprise," Antonio La Vina, professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University told Reuters. "Next surprise is VP for whom."
Duterte-Carpio's 76-year-old father is barred by the Constitution from seeking a second six-year term. He said last month he was retiring from politics.
The Southeast Asian nation of 110 million people holds elections in May 2022 for positions from president down to governors, mayors and local officials.
Sara is a kingmaker
The elder Duterte has repeatedly referred to his daughter as the "alpha" in their family and has risen to become one, if not the most, influential force in his political sphere.
Throughout her father's presidency, Duterte-Carpio played the role of first lady whenever called upon, and has played vital roles in the ouster of two House Speakers -- that of Pantaleon Alvarez, and Alan Peter Cayetano.
Duterte-Carpio has “definitely” established herself as a kingmaker—but there could also be more in it for her according to political analyst Ramon Casiple.
“She’s not just a kingmaker, she wants to be the queen too,” Casiple told reportr in a previous interview.
-- with a report from Reuters
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