It won’t be boring in the race for the next presidency in the Philippines. “I am now telling my compatriots that I will follow their will and announce my retirement today,” said incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte, 76, at a press conference on Saturday. The day before, Christopher “Bong” Go had submitted his candidacy for the office of Vice President, which Duterte actually wanted.
Just two weeks earlier, Go had opposed the wish of his party colleagues to run for the office of president in order to enable Rodrigo Duterte to become vice-president. His daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, 43, is said to have ambitions for the office of president. She leads in surveys, but recently she vehemently ruled out multiple applications with her father. After his retirement and Go’s candidacy, the way to the highest office would be free for her.
Anyone who now feels reminded of a telenovela could hear a lot more confusing things in the coming months, because voting will not take place until May. Last week, multiple ex-world champion Manny Pacquiao announced his retirement from boxing at the age of 42, and at the same time announced his long-awaited entry into the race for the presidency. “It’s the toughest decision of my life, but I’ve made my peace with it,” Pacquiao announced on social media. “We need a government that serves the people, with integrity, compassion and transparency.”
Manny Pacquiao, once brought into politics by Rodrigo Duterte, fell out with his sponsor and wants to fuel his campaign primarily with the promise of fighting corruption, a huge problem for the approximately 110 million people in the island nation. The former champion is not given great chances, as a boxer he is a folk hero, as a politician he has not yet been taken seriously. Both Dutertes are fighting in a higher weight class.
The international criminal court in The Hague has opened investigations against Duterte
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, 47, was also seen as something like Duterte’s assistant. In recent years, Go attracted attention by carrying documents and medication after the boss. Also on Friday, when he submitted his own candidacy for the vice presidency, Go accompanied by Duterte appeared at the “Sofitel Hotel” in Pasay, Manila, where the candidates have been able to register since October 1st. Observers therefore now assume that he can be pushed around like a pawn by the incumbent president. “In the circumstances that President Duterte decided to withdraw his nomination, I am here to compete for the vice presidency,” said Go. “I will not be a spare wheel,” the government intelligence service quoted him as saying.
Sara Duterte-Carpio, in turn, submitted her papers on Saturday to apply for another term as mayor of Davao, where she had already succeeded her father. It can be assumed, however, that Rodrigo Duterte not only uses Senator Go but also his daughter in a targeted manner in order to attract maximum attention in the coming weeks and to influence the election campaign. “People shouldn’t take his recent retirement announcement seriously,” says Carlos Zarate, a Davao politician and activist who has followed Duterte’s political career for years. “That is clearly part of the dubious machinations of the Duterte clique, a deception before the election.”
Just because the international criminal court in The Hague has initiated investigations against the incumbent president, it is suspected that Rodrigo Duterte cannot withdraw into private life and wants to protect himself from being charged with political immunity. His “War on drugs”, the ultra-hard line against drug offenses, had secured him the presidency in 2016. In the first six months after taking office, around 7,000 dealers died, many of them petty criminals who were downright executed, as Amnesty International reported.
There are other candidates for president
In the past two weeks, Senator Panfilo Lacson, 73, announced his candidacy, a former police chief who wants to run with Senate spokesman Vicente Sotto, a former actor and musician who moved into politics a long time ago. Lacson had tried to become president in 2004. According to Reuters news agency, he said: “The country is buried under a mountain of debt, many have lost their jobs … Corruption is commonplace and illegal drugs are still uncontrolled.”
Another candidate with a sonorous name is Ferdinand Marcos junior, son of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country as a dictator for 21 years. Marcos jr., Still known to the people in the Philippines as a young playboy who brings through the fortune stolen by the people from his parents who fled to Hawaii, is now 64 years old and, according to surveys, the candidate with the second best chance after Sara Duterte-Carpio. In addition, there are other illustrious figures, such as Isko Moreno, 46, former television star and currently mayor of Manila, who grew up in a slum and made a good impression in fighting the pandemic.
The incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, 56, would also have a chance if she were to run for office. In 2016 she had Ferdinand Marcos jr. as Vice-Presidents can barely prevent them through their own commitment. After the years under Duterte, she is regarded as his opponent and has secured an electorate for herself primarily through the fight against poverty. All of this can of course still change, because the candidates can apply for the presidency until November 15th. Only then does the election campaign begin.