MANILA - Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday said he would either run for president, senator or Olongapo mayor in the upcoming 2022 national elections, or else retire from politics.

While Gordon earlier said that he is planning to run for president for the second time next year, the senator noted that he remains undecided "because family is a consideration."

"I don't think I want to be vice president," Gordon told reporters in an online press conference.

"I can go back to the Senate or I can come back as mayor of Olongapo or I can retire and go fishing with my wife," he said.

Gordon said in jest that retirement may be the last option as his wife is not too fond of fishing.

"'Yun ang problema ko, kapag nag-retire (That's my problem if I retire) I will be climbing walls. But I can be in the Red Cross. I will never leave Red Cross. I'll always be a volunteer," said the senator, who also heads the Philippine Red Cross.

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WAITING FOR WIFE'S ANSWER

Gordon, who had a recent bout with COVID-19, said he would first consult his wife, Kate, who is dealing with "temporary inconveniences" health-wise before announcing his 2022 political bid.

"Until I got COVID, I did not realize I could have harmed my wife. Ayoko masasaktan 'yung asawa ko (I don't want to hurt my wife)," he said.

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"I owe it to her. She has been following me all the time... We have worked very, very hard and she has always been with me and I think I ought to consult her," he said.

"When she says, 'Pagod na ako (I'm tired),' that says something to me. But she never says na, 'Huwag kang tumakbo (Don't run),'" he said.

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Gordon said he and his wife have agreed to "think about it very, very strongly" because they are already "in the last quarter of our lives."

"Let's have some time for one another. That's fine with me," the senator said.

"But on the other hand, ang sabi ko sa kaniya, I would not want naman na I have something to offer our country and we became selfish," he said.

"I'm not saying I'm the only one who could do it. But if we fail to elect the right leader, what kind of future will we have as a country?"

• Gordon says willing to 'let go' of 2022 presidential bid 'if there is somebody better'

Gordon said he would announce his political plans either on September 4 - the birthday of his late mother - or September 28, the birthday of Filipino patriot Wenceslao Vinzons, one of the senator's idols.

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III - who will run as a tandem in 2022 - is also leaving a slot for Gordon in their senatorial slate.

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