Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio on Thursday joined the Lakas-CMD party just hours after leaving her regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), further fueling speculations on her possible run for a national post.
Duterte-Carpio took oath as a member of Lakas-CMD before House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, the president of the party, at the Revilla Farm in Silang, Cavite at exactly 6 p.m.
Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., the party’s chairman, was also present at the oathtaking ceremony.
“The officials and members of Lakas-CMD are elated to welcome Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as new member of our party,” Romualdez said.
“We had long been inviting Mayor Inday to join our party as we are all impressed with her sterling qualities as a leader and we saw up close her exemplary work ethic as chief executive of Davao City,” he added.
According to Romualdez, Duterte-Carpio “will be a very promising leader and a tremendous asset to the Lakas-CMD.”
Duterte-Carpio’s move to join Lakas-CMD further fuels speculations that she will seek a national post for next year’s elections, although it remains unclear whether she will vie for the presidency or vice presidency.
To recall, Duterte-Carpio withdrew her certificate of candidacy for Davao City mayor and was replaced by her brother, incumbent vice mayor Sebastian Duterte.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, one of Duterte-Carpio’s closest allies, earlier claimed that the Davao City mayor would gun for the presidency and would most likely run under Lakas-CMD which is led by former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte-Carpio and Macapagal-Arroyo are no strangers with each other. In 2018, it was said that Duterte-Carpio played a hand in the ouster of then House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and the installment of Macapagal-Arroyo at the helm of the lower chamber.
The Lakas-CMD has fielded its executive director Anna Capela Velasco and member Lyle Fernando Uy as presidential and vice presidential candidates.
But House Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr., Lakas-CMD secretary general, earlier said that Duterte-Carpio would be their “priority” in case she decides to run for president before the November 15 deadline for substitution of candidates.
It remains unclear what Duterte-Carpio’s final move would be, especially as there are also talks that she would run as a tandem with presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who has said that he would not step down from his presidential bid.
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