Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Friday filed his certificate of candidacy for president in the 2016 elections, shortly after withdrawing his COC for re-election.
Duterte,
who was in Davao, filed his COC for president with the law department of the
Commission in Elections (Comelec) in Manila through a representative, lawyer
Salvador Medialdea, at 11:50 a.m.
The
document was filed along with a certificate of nomination and acceptance from
the Partido Demokratiko Pilipinas-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) signed by Duterte
and the party's vice president, Engr. Salvador Ty.
Also
attached were a photocopy of the mayor's passport and his curriculum vitae.
The
tough-talking local official replaced Martin Diño as the official standard
bearer of PDP-Laban in next year's elections.
In
withdrawing his COC for Davao City mayor Duterte named his daughter, former
mayor Sara Duterte, as his substitute.
Sara
formally submitted the document for substitution at Comelec Davao.
ayor Duterte, who initially said he
is not interested in seeking for a national position, filed his COC for mayor
on October 15.
Diño withdrew his
COC for president after the Comelec law department questioned his ability to
launch a nationwide campaign.
In Resolution No. 2
Series of 2015, PDP-Laban said it must "compel any one of its members who
can carry the banner and torch of the party to victory, to substitute Martin
‘Bobot’ Diño, as the party must have its candidate in the coming May 9, 2016
election."
"Wherefore, be
it resolved, as it is hereby resolved, to substitute Martin ‘Bobot’ Diño in
case he withdraws from the presidential race with Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte who
is concededly the strongest presidential hopeful of the party aside from Martin
'Bobot' Diño, and who must dutifully abide by the decision of the party,"
the resolution added.
More choices
Presidential and
vice presidential candidates welcomed Duterte’s filing of COC.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said the entry of Duterte in the presidential race will give the people more choices in 2016, said Binay’s spokesperson Joey Salgado.
"The Vice President welcomes the
entry of Mayor Duterte in the presidential race. The people should be afforded
more choices in 2016," Salgado said in a press statement.
Senator Francis
Escudero, the running mate of independent presidential candidate Grace Poe,
said he respected Duterte’s decision to run for president.
“This strengthens our democracy given that people will have more options and choices,” Escudero said in a text message to GMA News Online.
Senator Bongbong
Marcos, who's also running for vice president in a loose coalition with
presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, described Duterte’s
decision as “a game changer.”
“This gives Filipinos a wide range of candidates to choose from which is a good thing,” Marcos said in a separate text message.
Marcos has said
that his continued to be in talks with that of Duterte but the Davao City mayor
has said that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano would be his vice presidential
candidate. —Amita Legaspi/RSJ/KBK/NB,
GMA News
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