MANILA - The political party that nominated Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. as president in the next year's polls said they are focused on his candidacy amid speculation he might slide down to vice president under Sara Duterte-Carpio's possible presidential bid.

Speaking to House reporters, Thompson Lantion, secretary-general of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) which Marcos Jr. chairs, said that the party and its leaders continue to believe in Marcos Jr. and that Duterte-Carpio could be a good running mate.

“Ang aming bibigyan pansin at diin doon ay sa kaniyang pagtakbo bilang pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas dahil siya po ang most qualified,," Lantion said.

(We are focused and emphasizing his run as the country's next president because he's the most qualified. His platform on nation building is very good)

Lantion said Davao City mayor, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, is welcome to be their standard bearer's running mate.

"Kung talaga nasa loobin niya naniniwala siya sa ating hanay…maluwag namin siya tatanggapin sa aming hanay... kung sakali yun magandang tandem yun para sa kaunlaran at pagsasama ng tinatawag natin kapayapaan kaunlaran," he added, referring to Duterte-Carpio.

This came after Duterte-Carpio withdrew her mayoral bid in Davao City on Tuesday, drawing speculations she may be running for a national post next year.

• Sara Duterte drops reelection bid, clearing potential run for higher office

"Kung talaga nasa loobin niya naniniwala siya sa ating hanay…maluwag namin siya tatanggapin sa aming hanay... kung sakali yun magandang tandem yun para sa kaunlaran at pagsasama ng tinatawag natin kapayapaan kaunlaran," he added.

(If it's in her heart to go to us, then we'll accept her wholeheartedly. If ever, their tandem is the best for the country's development and peace)

The officer also recalled that Duterte-Carpio already rejected the idea of running for President when the two leaders met in Cebu recently.

“Hindi ba nung nagpulong sila sa Cebu City…sa pag-uusap na yun ay sinabi nga ng ating mayora ng Davao City na wala siyang balak tumakbo bilang pangulo," he said.

(During our meeting in Cebu City, she said she does not have any plans to run as president)

"Kami naman po kung ano magiging desisyon ng ating Pangulo, ibig sabihin si [former] senator BBM, yun sa aming pagpupulong ng PFP…ay rererespetuhin namin yun."

(Whatever our President's decision is, that's BBM during our meeting in PFP, we will respect that)

When asked if their party would budge, Lantion said though that their decision is final: “Sa hanay namin ng PFP, sa aming pag-uusap, amin siyang inendorso nung una nung 'di pa siya sumumpa at na-nominate po siya official candidate ng PFP sa pagkapangulo ng ating bansa."

(In our discussion in PFP, we endorsed him (Marcos) even before he announced his plans to become president and before we nominated him as PFP's official candidate)

• Sara Duterte-BBM tandem 'marriage made in heaven,' says Imee Marcos

Lantion had dismissed the claims of Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda that Duterte-Carpio will run for the country's top post, describing it as merely the lawmaker’s opinion.

• Salceda claims Sara Duterte running for president

“May presumption kami na she’s running for President,” Salceda told ANC earlier in the day.

“In simple language there is no VP option for her and picking a VP for her is not a problem," Salceda added.

The lawmaker cited the withdrawals of Sara and Sebastian "Baste" Duterte from the mayoralty and vice-mayoralty races in Davao City as well as the announcement of Sen. Bong Go that there may be changes in his vice-presidential candidacy.

"The gyrations yesterday like the clarification on… Bong Go essentially withdrawing there is now a convening of the administration towards a singular candidate," he explained.

DUTERTE-CARPIO AS BBM'S VP?

Salceda also dismissed the speculation that it is possible that Duterte-Carpio will be running as vice president under Marcos' slate.

"[I'm] not sure about that. Definitely that's speculation because she’s running for president all these political gyrations just shows that she’s moving towards the presidency.”

Salceda believed that Duterte-Carpio would likely join the Lakas CMD party of former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

She was supposedly instrumental to Arroyo’s speakership in 2018. Both are close allies.

But Salceda explained that she wanted to run for president all along but her father got in the way. The Davao City mayor has kept her distance from her father’s party, the PDP-Laban.

At one point, she also distanced herself from the ruling party's political intramurals.

• Sara Duterte tells dad, Bong Go, PDP-Laban to stop dragging her into political intramurals

”She would have filed immediately were it not for complications within the administration party. essentially triggered by her father," the lawmaker said.

“She wanted to be president in the first place since May because yun naman ang there is that unyielding firmness to a purpose there was everything thrown at her from the side of her father…the father had his own how do you call that optics with respect to 2022," he added.

"She yielded not a single inch. that enlightened stubborness to a goal, unyielding firmness to purpose she wanted to run since May. Wala naman nagbago sa kaniya. There were just stumbling bloc. She had her way of clearing these road blocks. She wanted to be president."

In September, the female local chief executive announced she wasn’t running for national office because at that time, her father just announced he is running for vice-president under the PDP.

The PDP nominated Go to be its standard bearer. However, her father instead announced his retirement and Go filed for VP, freeing her from their agreement that only one of them should run for national office.

Mayor Duterte-Carpio also revealed that her father had previously talked to her and gave her two letters which essentially asked her to either get Go as her VP or just endorse the tandem of Go and her father. This led her to describe their conversation as unpleasant.

Duterte-Carpio chairs the regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, which has not endorsed a presidential candidate next year.

The substitution for candidates for next year's elections remains open until Nov. 15. Substitution is allowed for those who belong to officially recognized parties.

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