House Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr., Lakas-CMD secretary general, said the party is attempting to persuade Sen. Bong Revilla to be their standard-bearer, as Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has already declined to run for president.
A party official has indicated that the reconstituted Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party is considering Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. as its presidential candidate for the May 2022 elections.
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After presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio opted not to run for president, House Deputy Speaker Prospero Pichay Jr., secretary general of the previously ruling party, stated Revilla is a possibility as their probable standard-bearer.
According to the Surigao del Sur legislator, Revilla, who now serves as party chairman, has been approached about running for president but has declined.
“Yes, Senator Bong Revilla is still an option. We actually tried to convince him to run for president but he declined. We’re hoping he will still change his mind,” Pichay mentioned this during an interview.
The ranking congressman indicated that Revilla has until Nov. 15 to change his mind and replace Anna Capela Velasco, a Lakas-CMD member who registered for the party’s certificate of candidacy (COC) for president.
Pichay also stated that the PDP-Laban had given up on Duterte-Carpio following failed attempts to persuade her to run for president.
When asked about the idea of the presidential daughter becoming the party’s standard-bearer at this stage, he said, “There are no more talks on that. We really have to respect the decision of Mayor Inday Duterte not to run for president, so that’s not being considered anymore.”
“As Mayor Inday said, she has so many unfinished business in Davao so we really have to support that. Besides, she is still young and there’s still chance in the future,” he mentioned.
Pichay previously stated that their party is willing to replacing Velasco with Duterte-Carpio if the presidential daughter changes her mind and decides to run for president.
He also stated that if no standard-bearer accepts to run under Lakas-CMD, party members will gather after Nov. 15 to “consider what we’re going to do next,” including the probable adoption of a presidential candidate.
Last June, Lakas-CMD chair emeritus and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo met with presidential contender Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Pichay further stated that Velasco is not a placeholder, claiming that she is a real person.
Earlier, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa suggested Duterte-Carpio may be nearing a decision on whether or not to run for president in the May 2022 elections, citing ongoing pressure from her supporters.
Dela Rosa, the presidential candidate fielded by President Duterte’s PDP-Laban faction, said that even if he is among those asking the presidential daughter to run and is willing to give way to her, he should still be regarded a credible contender.
He believes Duterte-Carpio has not made a final decision on the topic and that anything can happen on or before Nov. 15, the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for candidate substitution or swapping.
On Thursday, Oct. 14, One News in Filipino Broadcasting Network, “As of now, it is 60-40 – 60% she’s not running; 40% she’s running,” Dela Rosa told to the media “Chiefs”.
“But for 40% is not a slim, 40(%) is still big,” he stated.
It should be noted that the President was a substitute candidate for the PDP-Laban in 2015, replacing Martin Dio, who was later pronounced a nuisance candidate by the Comelec.
He claimed that four days before he filed his certificate of candidacy for president on October 8, at the penultimate hour before the deadline for submitting COCs, Dela Rosa was texting Duterte-Carpio, asking her to run; the latter, however, was noncommittal and thanked him for his support.
Dela Rosa emphasized that while he is openly encouraging the President’s daughter to run, he is not acting as a placeholder for her, nor can he be accused of making a farce of the elections.
Via: OneNews Ph
↗️ Bato Seeks Presidency in 2022 Polls
↗️ Ernesto Abella files COC for President
↗️ VP Leni Robredo announces bid for presidency
↗️ Bongbong Marcos files certificate of candidacy for president