PRESS RELEASE
November 9, 2021
In a Facebook post on November 9, 2021, Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced that she is withdrawing her Certification of Candidacy and will be replaced by her younger brother and incumbent vice mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte.
“Everyone expected this to happen. It is not surprising at all,” Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) Spokesperson Liza Maza said, adding that the Duterte camp is widely-known for employing such theatrics for their political agenda.
Last month, when there was still no clear “administration candidate”, various groups have raised alarm on the possibility of another substitution tactic as employed by then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte. Five senators even sought to outlaw substitution of candidates due to withdrawal as it has been abused over the years.
Maza said that the remaining bits of integrity in the national elections will gradually disappear if this tactic remains legal. “It is so corrupted and it treats our voters as if they’re audiences waiting for entertainment: the cliffhanger, the “sundan ang susunod na kabanata“,” she said.
In unison with other advocacy groups and the civil society, CPDG urges all progressive organizations and individuals to reject and campaign against any attempt of the Duterte and Marcos camps to regain or extend power in the name of democracy.
“‘Wakasan na’ and ‘never again’ was the people’s cry when the administration entered its last year. We must remain vigilant and proactive in opposing the restoration or extension of yet another repulsive governance” Maza ended. #