Ex-Pres. Duterte to run for VP or senator if Sara impeached

Former President Rodrigo Duterte has said he will be forced to run for either vice president or senator if his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, gets impeached.

Duterte was responding to the alleged impeachment talks that some members of the House of Representatives plan against the Vice President, stressing that he will get out of his retirement to return to politics if such happens.

“Alam ninyo ba kapag ginawa ninyo ‘yan, babalik ako sa pulitika… Mapilitan ako—it’s either I run for senator or I will run for vice president maski matanda na ‘ko,” he said in an interview on SMNI aired Monday night.

(You know if you do that, I will return to politics... I will be forced to either run for senator or for vice president even though I'm old.)

“Mapipilitan akong lumabas sa retirement eh. When I begin to talk…election is just around the corner, talagang magka-babuyan tayo. I do not lose anything, I’m retired. Pero pagdating niyan na buhay pa ‘ko, ‘pag wala pa akong dementia, tatakbo akong…vice president… Kung si Inday ang presidente, okay lang,” he added.

(I will be forced to come out of retirement. When I begin to talk...election is just around the corner, it will get messy. I don't lose anything, I'm retired. But when it comes to that and it happens that I'm still alive and don't have dementia, I'll run for vice president... If Inday is the president, it's okay.)

Sara Duterte, for her part, said that she will support any political plans of her father.

“Kung anuman ang desisyon ni Pangulong Duterte ay buo ang suporta ng pamilya sa kanya. Just like kung anuman ‘yung mga desisyon namin na mga anak regarding sa pulitika, buo din ang suporta ng pamilya sa amin, ganon din ang suporta namin sa desisyon ni Pangulong Duterte,” she said in an ambush interview on Tuesday.

(Whatever President Duterte's decision is, the family has full support for him. Just like whatever our decisions are as children regarding politics, the family has full support for us. We will support President Duterte's decision the same way.)

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday (PH time) said Sara Duterte does not deserve to be impeached, and that they will pay very close attention to the issue.

“Binabantayan namin nang mabuti (We're closely monitoring this) because we don’t want her to be impeached, we don’t want her to… she does not deserve to be impeached so we will make sure that this is something we will pay very close attention to,” Marcos said in an interview with reporters in Hawaii.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, for his part, said that “there’s nothing in the offing” with regards to the supposed impeachment talks against the Vice President.

"Nothing filed, no news of that,” he said, adding that he does not know where the information came from.

Sara Duterte earlier said that her camp is currently doing its due diligence about the impeachment claim, and will release a comment “in the appropriate time.”

Ignoring Romualdez?

The Vice President also answered questions regarding a viral video of her supposedly snubbing Romualdez during the arrival of Marcos from the United States on Monday night. 

“Hindi ko nakita. Hindi ko nakita ‘yung nasa social media. Hindi ako maka-comment,” she told reporters in an ambush interview.

(I did not see. I did not see the video on social media. I could not comment.)

Pressed if it is true that she ignored Romualdez, who is a first cousin of the President, Duterte said, “Walang akong nakita (I did not see anything),”

In June, Duterte intentionally skipped mentioning Marcos’ middle initial as she acknowledged the Chief Executive at the start of her speech. Marcos’ middle name is Romualdez.

Romualdez earlier said he expects the relationship between the House of Representatives and Duterte to improve following the latter's decision to let go of the P500 million confidential fund under the proposed 2024 national budget.—AOL, GMA Integrated News