Duterte goes to Comelec to ‘reaffirm’ Palace run

DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday personally appeared at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros, Manila, to “reaffirm” his candidacy for President in the May 2016 elections.

Duterte, accompanied by his running mate Alan Peter Cayetano, checked the validity of his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Comelec law department.

“There have been a lot of issues (being brought up against my COC). So once and for all I’ve decided to go to the Comelec to ask if the papers and documents I submitted were OK. If not, I told them to just disqualify me, if my papers don’t follow the procedure,” Duterte told reporters.

Duterte’s camp initially planned to have him file a new COC to correct possible defects in the one he submitted through a representative on Nov. 27.

“I was told that my papers were OK, no need to correct or attach new documents,” he said, adding that he reaffirmed only the contents of the first COC he had filed.

But Duterte said he wouldn’t mind the Comelec disqualifying him if its decision was based on a “legal reason.”

He said he was not worried about the outcome of the disqualification case filed against him by broadcaster Ruben Castor as he would accept any decision of the Comelec first division on the case.

“I will not lose sleep because I’m not the President. I won’t die if I don’t become President,” he told reporters.

In his petition, Castor claimed “there is clearly no candidate for President who is withdrawing his candidacy for the same position of President; that there is none that respondent Duterte may substitute.”

Duterte initially filed his COC for reelection in Davao City, but eventually withdrew it and named his daughter Sara as his substitute.

At the period of filing of the COC in October, Duterte repeatedly said he was not interested in seeking a national post despite a clamor from his supporters.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte arrives at the Comelec office in Manila to file for his Certificate of Candidacy for President,Tuesday.
INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

However, he changed his mind recently after the Senate Electoral Tribunal ruled that Sen. Grace Poe, who is also running for President, was a natural-born Filipino and therefore should not be unseated as a lawmaker.

“At this time the water has passed under the bridge. It has come to pass that I really did file my COC. So any reason would be a good reason at this time,” Duterte said.

Vitaliano Aguirre, the lead counsel of Duterte, said the possibility that the mayor would be disqualified due to a clerical error on his COC was no longer a problem.

“We have perfected the certificate of candidacy and the clerical error was no longer a problem. The remaining legal case is the one filed by a certain Ruben Pastor,” Aguirre told the Inquirer on the sidelines of Duterte’s appearance at the Comelec yesterday.

Aguirre said the Duterte camp had asked the Comelec law department about any additional requirements to ensure the correctness of the COC.

“We have been assured that everything is complete and there’s nothing more we need for the COC,” he said.

He said there was no legal reason for Duterte to show up at the Comelec, but on the request of the PDP-Laban president, Sen. Koko Pimentel, the mayor had agreed to appear.