MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio sought the understanding of her supporters as she rejected again on Wednesday calls for her run for president in 2022, saying she would rather finish her term as mayor before moving on to another position.
She had already filed her certificate of candidacy for reelection as Davao City mayor, which made it seem that she was completely dropping her bid to be the successor of her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, in 2022.
“It pains me not to be able to give my friends what they want,” she said in Filipino in a Facebook post. “I want to finish my last term as mayor before I serve in another position.”
READ: Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte files candidacy for reelection in 2022
Should she win in the 2022 elections, it will be her fourth term. She served her first term from 2010 to 2013, her second term from 2016 to 2019, and her third term from 2019 to 2022.
In September, she said she would not run for president in the 2022 polls, citing her agreement with her father that only one of them would vie for a national position.
READ: No more presidential run for Sara Duterte in 2022; to seek reelection as mayor
READ: Sara not running for president after Duterte takes VP
President Duterte had previously announced that he would run for vice president on accepting the nomination of his party, PDP-Laban. He then signed a certificate of nomination and acceptance.
However, in a surprise move on Oct. 2, he said he would be retiring from politics and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go would run as vice president instead.
He also claimed that her daughter would run for president with Go as her running mate.
READ: Duterte ‘retiring,’ Go runs for VP – but eyes still on Sara