G.A. Viray
CAVITE, Philippines. After almost a year of waiting, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters can finally celebrate after he said that he will definitely run for president last Saturday, November 21, 2015.
According to ABS-CBN, Duterte made a decision after the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) voted against a petition to disqualify Senator Grace Poe, based on her citizenship.
“I am running for president because I am so disappointed, ang sad sa ruling nila. I mean Grace (Poe) can run for governor, mayor. I mean I am willing to vacate my post, ibigay ko sa kanya, wag yung presidente. Ngayon pag sinabi mo walang iba, bigyan mo ako ng Bagobo, bigyan mo ako ng Igorot, yung totoong Pilipino. Bigyan mo akong basurero,” Duterte stated.
Duterte also said that the presidential bid has been “cheapened” which is something that is not acceptable. “Ayoko naman ng ganun, you ‘cheapen’ the presidency. Importante yan sa akin, and I think it’s important for everybody.”
SET voted 5-4 which trashed the petition made by senatorial bet Rizalito David, who said that Poe must be disqualified because she is not a natural born citizen.
Furthermore, Justice Antonio Carpio, SET chairman also made a statement earlier that Poe is only a naturalized Filipino.
Numerous cases against Poe running for president
SET may have junked the petition against Poe, however, there are still four disqualification cases before the Commission of Elections (COMELEC).
Duterte said that it would be tragic when the Supreme Court disqualifies her when she is already a president.
Poe’s residency is also being questioned in the disqualification cases.
Running under PDP-Laban
Duterte has yet to formally inform (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan) PDP-Laban leader Senator Aquilino Pimentel III regarding his decision to run for president.
PDP-Laban presidential bet Martin Dino has already withdrawn his candidacy because of Commission on Election’s (COMELEC) decision to declare him as a nuisance candidate. This has opened the doors for Duterte to become the political party’s substitute candidate.
On a final note, Duterte said he has yet to “make rounds to fill in the gap” before he goes to COMELEC to fix his candidacy.
As of this writing, PDP-Laban has yet to file a new certification of nomination for Duterte.
Watch the video here:
JUST IN: "My candidacy is now on the table" — Mayor Duterte #VotePh2016 https://t.co/zxVm17xeDU
— Inquirer Reporters (@Team_Inquirer) November 21, 2015
Featured Photo Credit: ABS-CBN News / Primy Cane
