MANILA (2nd UPDATE)—Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Saturday filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for a 3rd consecutive and final term as local chief executive.

Duterte-Carpio filed her COC at 4:15 p.m. at a local Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.

Her spokesperson earlier said her youngest brother, Sebastian Duterte, would run for vice mayor.

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In a statement, the official expressed her gratitude to her supporters as they continued to give them their trust and respect.

She also called on her fellow candidates to work together for a "credible" and peaceful elections.

"Thank you to everyone who have expressed their support. Many of you do not know me and yet you carry me over your shoulders," her statement read.

"Like the other millions of Filipinos, I share with you the same goal of living a peaceful and prosperous life in our country, today and in the many years to come."

4TH TERM

Should Duterte-Carpio win the post in the 2022 elections, it will be her 4th term, having been mayor for the first time from 2010 to 2013, then again in 2016-19 and in 2019.

She chairs the Regional Hugpong ng Pagbabago and is also a member of the Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod in Davao City. She has ruled out joining national political parties.

Her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, earlier said he would back out of politics after refusing the nomination of PDP-Laban to run for the vice presidency next year.

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Sen. Bong Go will gun for the post after submitting his COC earlier in the day.

In early September, Duterte-Carpio said she would not run for president, citing her agreement with her father that only one for them should go for a national position.

On August 29, she also called out the President and Go, saying they should leave her out of their political decision on the 2022 elections after her father reportedly said he and Go would withdraw if she ran.

She also asked them to leave her out of the PDP-Laban intramurals.

Duterte-Carpio remains the most popular prospect for next year's presidential elections, based on recent surveys.

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Political analysts say Duterte-Carpio could still make a last-minute bid for the presidency, as her father did in 2015. The Commission on Elections allows substitutions until November 15.

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Like her father, Duterte-Carpio is liked for her no-nonsense style and has no qualms about publicly disagreeing with him, or picking fights with his allies.

The Comelec is accepting certificates of candidacy for the 2022 elections until October 8, but laws allow partymates to substitute until November 15.

—With reports from RG Cruz and Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News; Reuters

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