Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admitted on Monday, February 25, that all political decisions in the country are orchestrated by his daughter — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“Even in politics. She is [the] one orchestrating, not me anymore. She practically ignores me,” Duterte said in his speech at the first national assembly of the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
“But now Inday (Sara’s nickname) is the one taking the lead. Inday is the one who controls the (political decisions). Wala na ako eh (I will be gone). I know that after three years, wala na talaga ako (I will be really gone),” Duterte added as reported by The Philippine Star.
The president emphasized the fact that his daughter is so much tougher than he is. He recalled the physical confrontation Duterte-Carpio had with a court sheriff during an informal settlers’ demolition in 2011.
“If you go to Davao, you have to go about it carefully. I beat people up too but Inday is worse than me. Have you seen the sheriff that she punched? She even pulled his hair. He was almost bald,” the president said.
Duterte also explained that he “could not control his daughter” as she was “really hard to deal with.” He mentioned the rift she had with former House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez that led to his ouster during Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“She started planning it in Davao. Alvarez was replaced. I wasn’t even aware that she was angry. But with Inday, you just can’t. I did not know about it ‘til the day I was there to deliver my SONA,” the Chief Executive explained.
“Have you seen Inday? Alvarez was just kidding around. But I can also impeach him. So if you will make a joke, don’t joke around with someone who has a father, mother, sibling and children behind her. You better watch out,” he added.
Sara in 2022: Duterte’s insurance against ICC arrest – journalist
An opinion column written by veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas entitled “President Sara” in 2022 is Duterte’s insurance from ICC arrest when he is out of Malacañang was posted on Saturday, February 24, in ABS-CBN News website.
The article earned the ire of Duterte supporters as presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo labeled it as “black propaganda” dismissing the written work as nonsensical.
Tordesillas echoed Malaya columnist JB Baylon’s social media post wherein he said that Sara Duterte “is the term extension” herself. The journalist explained that constitutional revisionism will not be necessary should another Duterte be seated in the country’s highest post.
“Sara succeeding him in Malacañang will assure Duterte that the International Criminal Court (ICC) won’t be allowed in the country to arrest him when the case progresses to that stage. He would not have to answer for the extra-judicial killings attributed to him,” Tordesillas said.
“Sara as the next president will also continue to clamp down on the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Ombudsman so the case of Duterte’s unexplained wealth would remain uninvestigated,” she added.
Panelo refuted Tordesillas’ claim by calling the journalist “biased” and a “vocal sympathizer” of one of Duterte’s staunchest critics, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. However, he said that the administration continues to respect the freedom of expression.
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over and for that matter any Filipino citizen. It is a no brainer that a biased journalist or columnist like Ms. Tordesillas would regularly come up with conjectures inimical to the president. That is what we call black propaganda,” he said.
“His record of not filing any libel case against any member of the media in his more than forty years as a public servant is res ipsa loquitur (the thing speaks for itself),” the spokesman added as reported by The Manila Times.
