Divine intervention: Duterte waiting for ‘a message from God’ on 2022 vice presidential run

MANILA, Philippines — “A message from God” will serve as a cue for President Rodrigo Duterte to join the vice presidential race in the 2022 national elections.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said this Monday, a few months away from the scheduled filing of a certificate of candidacy.

Roque said Duterte “has left it to God” – on whether to join the fray for vice president in next year’s polls.

Roque also hinted that Duterte was contemplating if “it is God’s will” for him to seek the nation’s second-highest position.

“A message from God because he has left it to God,” he said in a Palace briefing when asked what will make Duterte run for vice president in the upcoming elections.

“I guess if the President thinks it is God’s will he will make the proper announcement in due course,” he added.

Roque previously said Duterte is focused on the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program for now, as some members of his political party PDP-Laban had urged the former Davao City mayor to vie for the vice presidency as he ends his term as president on June 30 next year.

Recent Pulse Asia presidential survey has Duterte’s daughter, incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, as shoo-in – being the most preferred by respondents to run for president in the 2022 elections.

KGA