MANILA, Philippines — Vice President and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo on Tuesday said that it was Sen. Bong Go’s right to withdraw his candidacy for president in the 2022 national elections.
“Karapatan niya naman iyon. Karapatan niyang magdesisyon kung ayaw niya nang ituloy iyong kanyang candidacy,” Robredo told reporters.
(That is his right. He has the right to decide if he does not want to pursue his candidacy.)
This came after Go earlier announced that he was backing out from the presidential race, saying he does not want President Rodrigo Duterte trapped in the middle ahead of the 2022 elections.
Meanwhile, Robredo said that Go’s withdrawal will not affect her own campaign for candidacy.
“Kami kasi iyong lakad namin hindi naman relative to other candidates, eh. Iyong lakad namin, tuloy-tuloy lang kami,” Robredo said.
(Our walk is not relative to other candidates. We will just keep going.)
“Hindi naman kami apektado ng mga nag-sa-substitute, umaalis. Sa amin, klaro sa amin kung ano ang dapat naming gawin,” she added.
(We are not affected by those who substitute, or withdraw. To us, our goal is already clear.)
Before announcing his withdrawal, Go was running under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) party, along with Duterte, who is currently seeking a Senate seat.
Other notable aspirants left in the race are Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
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