MANILA - There is nothing unconstitutional or illegal in asking President Rodrigo Duterte to seek the vice-presidency in the 2022 elections, an official of his political party said Tuesday.
Raul Lambino, PDP-Laban Vice President for External Affairs, said the party pushed for this because there has been widespread clamor for a continuation of the programs started by the Duterte administration.
"I don’t see any constitutional or legal violation for a president running for another position...The prohibition is for President Duterte to run for President again in 2022, that is unconstitutional," he told ANC's Headstart.
"What we are driving at in PDP-Laban is that when we have our consultations with our party members all over the country, we have been receiving a lot of petitions, manifesto of support urging the continuity of a Duterte administration because they have seen how the President has performed in the last 5 years and they would want a continuity of this kind of government, this kind of administration," he said.
Lambino added, there has been precedent in having a former president run and win a political seat after a term as chief executive. He cited former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who became Manila City Mayor and Pampanga District Representative respectively.
PDP-Laban on Monday held a national meeting and voted to come up with a resolution urging Duterte, its chairman, to run for vice president next year and have him choose his running-mate. Last week, his spokesman said the president "leaves to God" the decision on whether or nor he would seek the office.
Lambino said he didn't think it would be wise for the party to endorse Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, when she had not said she is interested to run for president and is currently not a member of the party.
However, he said he would personally support the daughter-father tandem should they decide to run together next year.
"I have seen how the President worked, I also have observed how Mayor Inday Sara works as mayor of Davao City. If ever Mayor Inday Sara will decide to run for president and President Digong will run for vice president, I will personally campaign hard for both Duterte-Duterte in 2022," he said.
Duterte-Carpio had topped recent surveys on "probable presidential candidates," but consistently denied she would not join next year's race for the seat.
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