Koko Pimentel: Duterte won’t settle for less than presidency

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will not settle for anything less than the presidency in 2016, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has said.

Duterte and Pimentel both belong to PDP-Laban party.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

“If [Duterte] runs for senator or vice president we will help him, but he won’t do that because first of all he wants an executive position, and that’s where he is good,” Pimentel said in an interview on Monday.

“Hindi ang senador, legislative, then ang VP spare tire—ayaw nya ng ganoon (Not as a senator or in the legislative, or a VP position which is a spare tire—he doesn’t want that).”

Pimentel said the mayor would have the full backing of the party whatever his decision would be.

“Mayor Duterte is a party mate in PDP-Laban for a long time. So we will be happy, it will be our pride, if he runs for president. We will support him,” he said.

READ: PDP-Laban eyes Duterte as standard-bearer in 2016 polls

“But we are not pushing him to run. Let it be his personal decision to run for president,” the senator said.

“But while waiting for his decision, we are telling him that at least he has a party that is fully behind him.”

Pimentel said over the weekend that PDP-Laban would field Duterte as its standard-bearer should the mayor decide to run in 2016.

In February, Duterte himself was quoted to have said that he was keeping an open mind about the presidency. RC

READ: Duterte on 2016 plans: I keep an open mind

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