Duterte: ‘I won’t be a substitute candidate’

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte does not intend to run as a substitute candidate in the 2016 presidential race.

READ: Duterte won’t run; ‘Give the presidency to the one who wants it’

In a radio interview Friday afternoon after the end of the filing period for certificates of candidacy, Duterte said, “wala yung susbtitute-substitute. Hindi ako pang-substitute. Pang original ako.”

(There wont by any substitution. I am not fit to be a substitute. I am for being original.)

TIMELINE: Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte’s possibility of substitution was opened after Martin Diño, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), filed his candidacy for president.

Diño is a member of PDP-Laban, the same party where Duterte belongs.

If he changes his mind, Duterte can still substitute for Diño by December 10, 2015.

Never left Davao

Contrary to reports, Duterte said he was at his residence in Davao City the whole Friday.

“Hindi naman ako lumalabas, (I never left,)” he said.

But the mayor revealed that a private plane was sent to Davao to fetch him to Manila but he declined.

Hundreds of his supporters trooped to the Comelec to show support for the mayor but were disappointed.

As the filing of COC ended on Friday afternoon, Duterte did not show up at the Commission on Elections in Intramuros, Manila.

READ: Duterte: Time to end a wild dream

Duterte described his decision not to run for president in the 2016 elections despite public clamor by simply saying: “Isang salita lang ako. (I always keep my word.)”

Duterte has repeatedly shunned calls for him to run, saying it’s his time to retire from politics.

In the interview, Duterte said he has long decided not to run for president despite big personalities and businessmen urging him to run for the country’s top position.

“Noon pa sinabi ko na hindi ako kandidato. Ayaw kong maging president, (I have said before that I will not be a candidate. I dont want to become president.)” he said.

He revealed that businessmen like Manny Pangilinan, Lucio Tan, and Gabby Lopez met with him ahead of the filing of certificate of candidacy to ask if he was running for president.

READ: Backers not giving up on Duterte

“Tumanggi ako, (I declined.)” he said, adding that his move of going around the country was just to promote federalism.

Sara Duterte’s action misinterpreted

Duterte said the actions of her daughter, Sara, was misinterpreted by his supporters and the public.

On her Instagram account, Sara has posted a photo of her sporting a shaved head, who then called for “change.”

READ: Sara shaves hair, denies she convinced Duterte to drop 2016 bid

In the caption of the photo, Sara seems to ask her father to run for president even if their camp will face lack of campaign funds or the political machinery to wage a presidential campaign.

She also wrote #Duterte2016, #kalboparasapagbabago, and #NohairWecare.

But the older Duterte said all these actions were misinterpreted.

“Ang pagpapakalbo niya ay to protest yung mga taong namimilit, (Her decision to shave her head was to protest those people who kept insisting.)” he said.

2016 presidential race support

Asked who he would endorse for 2016 polls, Duterte said he already have something in mind but did not reveal the name of the candidate.

It was earlier reported that vice presidential aspirants Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Alan Peter Cayetano courted Duterte for his support. Nestor Corrales/MS

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