RODRIGO Duterte fans won’t stop believing, and they have reasons to press forward. Turns out the speculations about the “substitution” theory may indeed happen — popular Davao City mayor “may” substitute the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) candidate Martin Diño.
Mayor Duterte has made it clear when he failed to file his certificate of candidacy (COC) last October 16 that he won’t run for president, and that he would not substitute anyone.
However, on October 21, Duterte said there was still a chance he would change his mind, and that may happen if his party, the PDP-Laban, decides that he should substitute the party’s candidate for president.
Even Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano hinted that it is possible that Duterte will run as a substitute presidential candidate in 2016. Of course, Cayetano had always been open about his hope that Duterte would run for president, and that he would be chosen as Duterte’s VP. Cayetano said he believes Duterte can be a game-changer who will bring a different perspective to the national leadership.
And on October 27, PDP-Laban national chairman Former South Cotabato Gov. Mike Sueno announced: ”Wherefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved to substitute Martin Diño in case he withdraws from the presidential race with Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”
A day after, on October 28, the plot thickened. Diño withdrew his candidacy and named Duterte as his substitute.
Media reports quoted Diño who said he withdrew after learning that he is likely to be declared as a nuisance candidate by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
But ABS-CBN News reported on Friday, October 30 that Comelec said it “will not work on the substitution of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte as a presidential candidate of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan until the mayor accepts the party’s decision.”
Duterte then, per Comelec rules, has until December 10 to signify and officially confirm that he is accepting his party’s decision.
Do you think Duterte will be a good soldier and follow the PDP-Laban’s decision to be the presidential bet? Should he run for president, along side Binay, Roxas, Poe, and Santiago? If he runs, who should he pick as his VP?
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
