By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A former President of Philippine, Rodrigo Duterte, is seeking to run for the Senate in mid-term elections next year, his daughter who is also the country’s vice president said Tuesday.
Duterte had in 2022 when his tenure ended, announced that he would retire from politics.
Vice President Sara Duterte said her two brothers also plan to run in the election while she eventually intends to return to her family’s southern political stronghold of Davao city, where she once served as a mayor, to run for the same position again.
She didn’t say when she intends to do that.
One of her two brothers, Sebastian Duterte, who is the current Davao city mayor, also plans to run for the presidency in 2028, she told reporters.
Sara Duterte ran as the vice-presidential running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of an ousted dictator, under a hastily forged political unity ticket. Both won with huge margins in 2022.
The alliance of the scions of two authoritarian leaders combined the voting power of their families’ political strongholds but compounded worries of human rights activists.
The alliance, however, rapidly faced political challenges.
Last week, Sara Duterte announced she was resigning from her posts of education secretary and head of an anti-insurgency body, without saying why.
It was the latest sign her alliance with President Marcos Jr. was heading to uncertainty over key differences, including the current administration’s handling of escalating territorial disputes with Beijing.
Duterte, 46, remains vice president. Marcos Jr accepted her two resignations, which will take effect July 19, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.
There have been open political hostilities between her father and Marcos Jr.
