The daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte registered on Saturday as a candidate for vice President in next year’s elections, ending months of speculation.
A lawyer filed the Certificate of candidacy of Sara Duterte-Carpio, the current mayor of the southern city of Davao, for the centre-right Lakas-CMD political party, which she only joined two days earlier.
Duterte-Carpio’s spokesperson, Christina Frasco, confirmed the registration, adding a statement is expected.
The 43-year-old mayor took the spot of a Lakas-CMD member who had registered in October but was considered a placeholder.
He cannot seek re-election under the Philippine constitution.
Shortly after the filing, the camp of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, who is running for president, immediately “adopted” Duterte-Carpio as its vice-presidential candidate.
Marcos, who faces a disqualification case before the Commission on Elections for a 1995 conviction for failing to file income tax returns, has been topping the latest surveys on the presidential race.
He did not name a vice-presidential running mate prior to Duterte-Carpio’s filing.
Duterte-Carpio has been a favourite presidential and vice-presidential contender in surveys, even after she said she wanted to run for a third term as Davao City mayor.
She withdrew her registration for re-election on Wednesday.
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