(UPDATE) Vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio cast her vote in Davao City early Monday seeking to continue the Duterte brand of politics for the next six years.
The top pick in opinion polls before the elections, Duterte-Carpio would be a heartbeat away from the presidency should she win this election.
"I will be a supportive and loyal vice president to Apo BBM in the event that he wins. Kung hindi natin kasama o kaalaydo yung mananalo na pangulo, I will still continue to work for our country kung hindi tayo mabigyan ng cabinet position," said President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest daughter.
The outgoing mayor of Davao City said she would advocate for peace-building and child protection.
“I would not say na I would be the best vice president that our country will ever have. We will let history be the judge of that pero 'yung nasa akin po talaga at lagi kong sinasabi na nasa ating lahat is 'yung tibay ng puso ko as a Filipino. Matibay talaga ang puso ko," Duterte-Carpio said in an interview a week before the elections.
READ: Sara Duterte Says She's 'Not Best' VP Bet but Has a 'Strong Heart' for Service
The political heir of President Rodrigo Duterte is running with Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late dictator, who is eyeing a return to Malacañang after years of rebranding the family name.
Winning the vice presidency would make Duterte-Carpio a president in waiting after quashing speculations that she would run to succeed her father in this election.
"If she wins, she can use the next six years as a training ground for the presidency. She needs to be appointed to a key Cabinet position," University of Santo Tomas Department of Political Science Chair Dennis Coronacion told reportr.
Marcos earlier said Duterte-Carpio wanted to head the Department of National Defense should they win this election.
Duterte-Carpio was endorsed by her father, who earlier announced plans to retire from politics once he leaves Malacañang on June 30. A win for her would also be seen as an affirmation of the Duterte brand of politics according to Coronacion.
"It would show that people support the kind of politics the Dutertes are pushing for. She would serve as a reminder of her father," Coronacion said.
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