President Rodrigo Duterte during one of his Talk to the People programs. Screenshot from Facebook / PCOO livestream
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed that President Rodrigo Duterte will attend a campaign rally of his party PDP-Laban faction in Cebu province on Thursday, but cannot say if the President will announce his preferred presidential candidate there.
“Bukas naman nandoon din si Presidente sa Cebu province, para sa PDP-Laban campaign rally,” acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a Palace briefing.
(Tomorrow, the President will go to the PDP-Laban campaign rally in Cebu.)
When asked if the President is expected to announce his candidate for his successor, Andanar said he also has no information on that matter.
“’Yan ay inaabangan ko rin, wala naman akong information kung talagang mag-e-endorse si Presidente,” he said.
(I am also waiting for that announcement because I have no information if he will endorse anyone.)
Aside from the PDP-Laban rally, Duterte will also attend a meeting with the regional task force to end local communist armed conflict.
Duterte’s party PDP-Laban has already endorsed the presidential candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for the May 9 polls but the President himself has yet to make a personal endorsement.
Duterte earlier said he is not not supporting any candidate “at this time” unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
He later said that the ideal president should be a decisive, compassionate lawyer. Marcos is not a lawyer and Duterte once called him a “weak leader.”
According to Duterte’s long-time aide Senator Bong Go, the President met with Marcos Jr. a few days before the administration party PDP-Laban openly endorsed the son and namesake of the late dictator.
Go said the two had a “productive” meeting, where Duterte shared his experiences and gave advice on the presidency.
The meeting took place even though Duterte had called him a weak leader, and that he had made a preference for a lawyer just like him.