Duterte files COC for president

By ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO, GMA News

Published November 27, 2015 12:17pm
Updated November 27, 2015 1:56pm

(Updated 2:38 p.m.) 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.

JUST IN: Sara Duterte formally submits document to substitute father Rodrigo for Davao City mayoral race. #Eleksyon2016 via @dzbb
— GMA News (@gmanews) November 27, 2015

Mayor 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.

Even before Diño’s withdrawal, PDP-Laban has already passed a resolution compelling Duterte to be their substitute candidate for president.

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

Tags: eleksyon2016, rodrigoduterte