The Philippine’s strongman President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted his party’s vice-presidential endorsement, confirming his ambition to remain within the top echelons of power for several more years.
Barred from running for a third term as per the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Duterte has opted for the second most powerful post. Duterte’s long-time aide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, was endorsed as the PDP-Laban’s presidential candidate.
Duterte’s move to run for VP is a problem for the other presidential hopeful, boxer Manny Pacquiao, who has been publicly critical of Duterte’s government. The PDP-Laban was split by the growing turf war between Duterte and Pacquiao, resulting in the boxer being stripped of his presidency of the party.
Pacquiao only recently came out of a boxing match, the welterweight title fight against Yordenis Ugas, which he lost.
Duterte is said to hope that being vice-president would shield him from possible legal challenges to his actions as president, which raised human rights concerns over his brutal war on drugs—with a possible investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Other former Presidents, like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, have also run for lower posts following the conclusion of their terms—Arroyo served as a local legislator for three terms after her presidential stint ended in 2010. Former President Joseph Estrada ran for mayor of Manila after his term and was even re-elected later.
Pacquiao was reportedly considering calling a close to his 26-year boxing career in order to focus on politics. There was hope that a win in the ring could translate to greater support for a presidential run. But with the party appearing to back the Duterte-led camp, his odds of a political heavyweight title appear slim.
