Personalities and Netizens objected to the idea of President Duterte running for Vice President in the coming 2022 elections.
The Palace, through Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, announced that Duterte is thinking about whether to make a Vice Presidential run or not.
“Sa lahat po ng nagtatanong kung ano ang kasagutan ng Presidente, ang kasagutan po ay pag-iisipan po niya,” said Roque in an online briefing on June 1.
“Syempre po, sya ay na-nominate, kailangan pag-isipan. On the one hand, sabi niya nakapagsilbi na siya sa bayan. On the other hand, iisipin niya kung ano ang pinakamabuti para sa bayan. ‘Yun po ang kasagutan ng Presidente,” he added.
However, over social media, many personalities objected to this motion from the Philippine President.
Former health adviser Dr. Tony Leachon pointed that only in the Philippines does a President makes a Vice Presidential run for the upcoming elections. Although, Leachon believes that there is hope for the country after all.
Duterte may yet be the first vice presidential candidate to name his running mate, the candidate for president. Only in the Philippines!
But I believe in silver linings , always. 🔥 https://t.co/alj0STYSvA
— Tony Leachon MD (@DrTonyLeachon) June 2, 2021
Blogger Noemi Dado stressed that Filipinos already had enough of Duterte, and they deserve better.
We deserve better. Enough of Duterte. #WakasanNa https://t.co/VbPfX9cJFi
— Noemi L. Dado (@momblogger) June 1, 2021
Netizens also protested this possibility.
https://twitter.com/amoraelyy/status/1400063140147064838
https://twitter.com/GrammarNATsy/status/1399675921120956420
Aside from Duterte possibly running as Vice President, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Monday, May 31, urged Duterte to run in the 2022 elections.
Thus, too, received unfavorable reactions on social media as several Netizens and personalities shared their thoughts about the matter.
One netizen considered this encouragement from the party list as ‘greediness’–insisting that Duterte remains in a high position such as the country’s second-in-command and cling to power.
Wow. Garapalan na talaga just to hold on to power. https://t.co/FTFSMnD2qX
— Nil Sembrano (@nilsembrano) May 31, 2021
Healthcare Without Harm advocate Paeng Lopez ridiculed this move of the PDP-Laban. According to Lopez, the party-list considers Duterte as their contingency plan in 2022 elections, despite being exposed as a scammer, to have someone in a high position if their Presidential bet does not win.
https://twitter.com/paengLopez/status/1399297260693848068
Journalist Zen Hernandez considered the Duterte-Duterte tandem as a political dynasty, with Presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio running for President and her father as Vice President.
Parang galawang dynasty lang yung pag tapos na term mo takbo ka sa lower post tas patatakbuhin yung kamag-anak mo sa dati mong posisyon…
— Zen Hernandez (@zenhernandez) May 31, 2021
Meanwhile, as early as January, Duterte’s niece, Nuelle Duterte, urged the public not elect any Duterte in any public position.
Please don’t vote for any Duterte, ever again. https://t.co/JuL9XdFYDr
— Nuelle⁷🪷🍉 (@nuelleduterte) January 2, 2021
Duterte to run as Vice President: Not a Good Idea.
Bobby Tuazon, a political analyst and the director for Policy Studies of the Center for People Empowerment in Government, suggested that Duterte should retire after his tenure in 2022.
“Mabuti pa pabayaan na lang ni Pangulong Duterte yung mga iba pang posibleng prospective na vice presidentiables. Mag retire na lang siya,” he suggested in an interview with DZMM TeleRadyo on June 2.
Furthermore, Tuazon noted that Duterte does not need to stay in power.
“There is no need kasi assuming na maganda naman ang takbo ng kaniyang programa then allow yung mga iba pang prospective presidentiable na tumakbo bilang Bise President.
“Manatili na lang siyang adviser ng mga tatakbo at kung manalo man sila, adviser siya sa darating na Presidential government sa 2022.”
Other than his suggestion about Duterte’s possible VP run, Tuazon also made a call to have an independent Commission on Elections to avoid biases wherein officials were appointed by the current President.
“Dapat magkaroon na tayo ng independent Commission on Elections. Dapat magkaroon tayo ng pagsuporta at pag promote ng tunay na political party system sa ating bansa, kabilang na dyan ang masusi at malawak na political education sa atin mamamayan, lalo na yung mga botante,” advised Tuazon.
