MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte said he will be forced to run for vice president or senator if his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte is impeached.
Reports have circulated that there are members of the House of Representatives who want to impeach the Vice President. However, House Speaker Martin Romualdez has already denied such rumors, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. insisting that he does not want Sara Duterte to be impeached.
Speaking on the “SMNI Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” on Monday night, the elder Duterte said that he will be forced to run as either vice president or senator.
“Alam niyo ‘pag ginawa ninyo ‘yan, balik ako sa politika. Mapilitan ako, either I run for senator, or I will run for vice president maski matanda na ako. Kung si Inday ang Presidente, okay lang. Look, wala kayong sakit ng ulo, as of now. Kasi hindi pa ako, napipilitan ako lumabas from retirement eh,” said Duterte.
(You know, if you do that, I will return to politics. I will be forced to run for senator or vice president. If Sara is the President, that is okay. Look, you do not have a headache for now. I am not, I will be forced to leave retirement.)
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Duterte initially said he would run as President again, but corrected himself upon remembering that he is not allowed to do so under the law.
The Vice President only had a few words to say in response to her father’s supposed election run.
“Kung ano man yung desisyon ni Pangulong Duterte ay buo ang suporta ng pamilya sa kanya, just like kung ano man ang mga desisyon naming anak regarding sa politika, buo din ang suporta ng pamilya sa amin. Ganoon din ang suporta namin sa desisyon ni Pangulong Duterte,” said Duterte in an ambush interview in Quezon City.
READ: VP Sara Duterte says she has no ambition to run for president in 2028
(Whatever the decision of President Duterte, the family supports him fully. Just like whatever we, his children, decide regarding politics, our family supports us fully. We have the same support for his decision.)