The Philippines: Duterte Says Running for Vice President Is a ‘Good Idea’

• Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said running for vice president in 2022 is “a good idea,” his strongest comments yet indicating he may look to stay in a top leadership position after his single term ends.
• “There are a lot of people pushing me to run for vice president,” Duterte, 76, said in a speech on 16 Jun 21. “It’s a good idea” for him to run for vice president, he added, stating that he still has unfinished business like fighting drugs, corruption and criminality, and building infrastructure.
• This is a reversal of his previous statement that he is “resisting” calls for him to run as vice president.
• Still, Duterte said the vice president is “just a flower there until the other wilts.” He also said he would “want a good rest after a grueling” term — repeating his comments last week that he is keen to retire after his presidency.
• Duterte said that he would not mount a bid for the vice presidency if House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez guns for the post, citing his promise to support the House leader should he run for the second-highest office in the country.
• Duterte said he made this promise to Romualdez in 2019, when he brokered a term-sharing agreement between contenders for the House speakership, which included the Leyte lawmaker.
• In response, Romualdez said on 17 Jun 21 that he is “keeping [his] options open” for a possible bid in the 2022 elections after Duterte assured to support him should he run for vice president.
• Duterte’s comment comes as the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought authorization to open an investigation into the Philippine government’s deadly crackdown on drug crime. A preliminary probe started in Feb 18 determined there’s reasonable basis to believe that the “crime against humanity of murder” has been committed in the Philippines between 2016 and 2019, the date the country withdrew from the court.

External Link : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/duterte-says-running-for-philippine-vice-president-a-good-idea

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/16/2105954/duterte-flirts-vp-run-says-wont-mount-bid-if-romualdez-does

External Link : https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/06/17/2106153/romualdez-says-keeping-options-open-2022-run