MANILA — The much anticipated announcement finally came Saturday night from a birthday party in Cavite.
In a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Duterte was quoted saying, “My candidacy for the presidency is now on the table.”
According to Duterte, Sen. Grace Poe — one of the frontrunners in the 2016 presidential race — “will be a presumptive president whose citizenship is based on presumption.” He further added that “the highest position is reserved for a true-blue Filipino.”
“I cannot accept an American president,” Duterte declared, explaining that he changed his mind after the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) voted against the disqualification case based on the validity of Poe’s citizenship after being classified as a foundling.
“Show me your real mother and I will even campaign for you,” Duterte said, referring to Poe.
In the same INQUIRER report, Senate Majority Floor Leader and vice presidential aspirant Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed the Duterte-Cayetano tandem in 2016.
“If you disregard the Constitution, that’s just wrong. Because of that he’s running. He’ll no longer allow what’s happening,” Cayetano said, adding that Duterte “allow them to f*ck the people and to destroy the Constitution.”
Quoting Duterte, Cayetano said, “I respect the SET but the ruling is totally wrong.”
Duterte said he will soon start filling in the gaps to avoid disrespecting his fellow PDP-Laban Party members and make sure everything is set right before filing his certificate of candidacy before the Commission on Elections.