‘Private time’ for Duterte as official campaign period kicks off Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is having his “private time” as the campaign period for the 2019 midterm election started Tuesday.

Malacañang said Duterte has no scheduled event on Tuesday, the start of the official 90-day campaign for the 2019 midterm elections.

Undersecretary Feducia Mia Reyes-Lucas of Malacañang’s Media Accreditation and Relations Office said Duterte was having his “private time.”

The President skipped the proclamation for the senatorial slate of his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) in San Fernando City in Pampanga on Tuesday morning.

“We understand he has more important things to do as President, there are many problems [in the country],” his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

The younger Duterte is the founder of HNP, a regional party endorsing 13 senatorial candidates.

Sara said Duterte would join “selected campaign sorties.”

Prior to the kick off of the campaign period, the President led the distribution of certificates of land ownership awards (Cloas) to farmers in Buluan town in Maguindanao on Monday.

On the eve of the start of the campaign period for national candidates, the Duterte administration still had no full slate for the 12 Senate seats in the May midterm elections.

He told reporters on January 23 that he would have his own personal slate, citing it was “the right thing to do.”

Though chairman of the PDP-Laban, Duterte has so far endorsed 11 senatorial candidates, some not part of the ruling party.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Monday said Duterte would have a presidential slate rather than an administration slate. /je