The Philippines’ tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte has confirmed rumblings that he will run next year for vice president, in what critics say is an attempt at an end-run around constitutional term limits.
Duterte, notorious for his vulgar rhetoric and crackdown on illegal drugs, which has killed thousands of mostly petty suspects, said in comments broadcast early Wednesday that he would run for vice president to “continue the crusade.”
“I will run for vice president,” he said. “I’m worried about the drugs, insurgency. Well, number one is insurgency, then criminality, drugs.”
The Philippines has been struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic, with rising infections and death rates and a slow vaccination rollout, but Duterte’s popularity ratings have remained high.
Polls suggest that running Duterte on a ticket with his daughter, Sara Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, as the presidential candidate would be a strong pairing, said Manila-based political analyst Richard Heydarian.
The idea of the two running together has been discussed since 2019, he said, though Duterte advisers have reportedly said that he has suggested he might not run for vice president if his daughter decides to announce a bid for president.
“The campaign for Sara Duterte has more or less kicked off, it seems, almost irrespective of what Duterte’s position will be,” Heydarian said. “A Duterte/Duterte tandem is increasingly looking like the formidable team to beat in the next year’s elections.”
Philippine presidents are limited by the 1987 constitution to a single six-year term. If Duterte goes ahead with his run, it will likely face court challenges from the opposition, though Heydarian noted the supreme court has strongly supported the president’s moves in the past.
A new opposition coalition, 1Sambayan, whose name means One Nation, said Duterte’s decision came as “no surprise,” and just made the coalition “more determined in unifying the democratic forces in responding to the challenge.”
“It shows a clear mockery of our constitution and democratic process,” the group said. “The candidacy is both legally and morally wrong, and we trust that the Filipino people will realize his brazen, selfish and self-serving motives.”
After the news broke that he said he would run, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros warned that electing Duterte as vice president would mean a continuation of his authoritarian policies.
“Next year a lot is really at stake,” she said on the ABS-CBN News Channel.
“The president started his presidential run with a lot of drama, and it looks like he’ll be leaving us the same way, trying to confuse us, and we the Filipino people still searching for a true leader.”