MANILA, Philippines — Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be the government’s priority, but Malacañang said on Thursday that talks about politics cannot be avoided with the 2022 national elections drawing near.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque issued the statement after Duterte’s taped meeting with members of his political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) which aired Wednesday.
“It hasn’t changed, it’s still COVID-19,” Roque said in an online Palace briefing, when asked if the government already shifted its attention to politics amid the health crisis.
“Pero what do you do? COVID-19 or not, elections are coming up so political parties have to prepare and candidates will have to file their certificates of candidacy on the first days of October,” he added.
Roque said that Duterte, as PDP-Laban chairman, “has an interest in who the party will field as president and vice president in the 2022 elections.”
During the President’s meeting with PDP-Laban, Duterte again brought up that he was “seriously considering” to run for the vice presidency, but is being held back by the idea of not having the next Chief Executive as his “friend.”
“COVID pa rin po ang problema. Pero nakasaad po sa ating Saligang Batas na magkakaroon ng halalan sa Mayo. So habang po nasa pandemya, pinaguusapan na po ang pulitika. Pero ang ating prayoridad, COVID-19 pa rin at ang pagbangon sa pandemyang ito,” Roque said.
(COVID-19 remains to be the problem. But the Constitution states there will be an election in May. So while there’s a pandemic, we’re also talking about politics. But the priority remains to be COVID-19 and how we’re going to recover from this pandemic.)