Philippines Presidential Elections: Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in 2022

On Tuesday, Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he will run for the vice presidency in next year’s elections, confirming an earlier announcement by the country's ruling political party. The revelation comes days before the ruling Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod party is set to hold its national convention where CNN reported that it would announce Christopher “Bong” Go as its presidential candidate. It is imperative to note that Duterte’s nomination has been met with severe backlash by the opposition, which labelled it a ploy by the incumbent to consolidate his grip on power.

"I will run as vice president, then I will continue the crusade. Number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs," Duterte said in a late night weekly national address. "I may not have the power to give direction or guidance but I can always express my views in public,” he added.

The Philippines is set to hold its presidential elections on May 22 next year. According to the country’s constitution, any person can have the Presidential position only once. Additionally, both president and vice-president are elected discreetly.

Duterte's ploy

Meanwhile, the opposition has pointed out that Dutretre’s nomination for the number 2 position in the country could serve as a backdoor for the presidential position. They tout a scenario wherein Go could win the polls and then resigns, enabling Duterte to shield himself from possible legal actions when he leaves office. "This is really part of the scheme of the Duterte clique to extend not only influence but control of the government," said opposition Congressman Carlos Zarate.

This comes when the Philippines Election Commission is developing new guidelines for next year's presidential elections, which has successfully eliminated ingrained political campaigning practices such as shaking hands amid the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. Given recent evidence regarding the importance of hand hygiene and social distance in preventing the spread of the highly contagious virus, the Comelec has suggested against hugging and kissing when politicians go on their campaign trail. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez stated that at this point, all conceivable venues in any specific region must have mentioned capabilities on file. This may limit the number of people who attend events in certain areas, permit granting will likely be restricted. 

Image Credit: AP