MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday announced he would be retiring from politics, walking back a previous claim that he would run for the vice presidency in 2022 -- and leaving the public guessing as to who he wants to be his successor.
Duterte, 76, accompanied his former aide, Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, to the filing of candidacy for national elections -- then endorsed Go's run for the vice presidency in what the local press dubbed a "surprise" move.
Addressing the public, Duterte cited a recent survey that found most Filipinos believed Duterte running for vice president would be unconstitutional. "So in obedience to the will of the people who after all placed me in the presidency many years ago, I now say to my countrymen: I will follow what you want, and today I announce my retirement from politics," he said.
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Duterte, a tough-talking populist who is most known for a drug war that has left thousands dead, has previously claimed he would retire from politics before. He made a similar pronouncement just before running for the presidency, which he won in 2016.
A faction of the ruling party PDP-Laban previously endorsed Go as a presidential bet, with Duterte as vice president. Go did not categorically accept the nomination, but his move to replace Duterte for the second-highest position opens the floor for a partnership with another presidential candidate.
Many think that will be Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is leading preelection surveys. She and her father previously took turns in running for mayoral and deputy positions in their hometown, taking each other's spots when the three-term limit was up.
Duterte-Carpio previously said they had agreed that only one of them would run for a national position. But before the afternoon ended, she filed her candidacy for another term as Davao mayor -- leaving the public wondering what the Dutertes' endgame is.
Duterte has maintained unusual record popularity for a president, despite criticism about his pandemic response and human-rights record. A Duterte father-daughter tandem previously led a preelection poll by Pulse Asia Research, but last month, the elder Duterte slipped to second favorite, with majority favoring Senate president Vicente Sotto for vice president instead.
The filing of candidacy for next year's elections opened Friday and runs until Oct. 8. Candidates can be replaced by substitutes until mid-November -- leaving a possibility for Duterte-Carpio to step up yet.
Duterte cannot run for president again as the constitution limits the position to a single six-year term. But as the International Criminal Court investigates the president for crimes against humanity committed under his watch, Duterte staying in a top position or having an ally there is necessary for his "political survival," said analyst Julio Teehankee.
Other commentators also expect a possible partnership with Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son of a late dictator of the same name. The Marcos family, which ruled for two decades in a period riddled with corruption and human-rights abuses, have stayed active in local politics.
Political analyst Antonio La Vima warned that a Marcos-Duterte win could signal a new "dark age," with continued human-rights abuses and elite political dynasties further consolidating power.