Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his final State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines on July 26, 2021. (JAM STA ROSA / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)
MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose single six-year term ends next year, has accepted the ruling political party's endorsement to run for vice-president in the 2022 elections, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Tuesday.
The vice-president is elected separately from the president under the Philippine law. The vice-president can be propelled to the presidency if the president dies or is incapacitated
Duterte "agreed to make the sacrifice and heed to the clamor of the PDP-Laban party for him to run as vice-president in the 2022 national elections," Nograles, the executive vice-president of the governing PDP-Laban party, said in a statement.
Nograles said Duterte accepted the endorsement "after (being) presented with popular calls" from PDP-Laban's members "aspiring for a transition of leadership that will guarantee continuity of the administration's program during the past five years" of Duterte's administration.
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Nograles said the party will discuss Duterte's nomination during their national convention next month.
Duterte, 76, was elected president in the May 2016 elections. The constitution limits Philippine presidents to a single six-year term.
The vice-president is elected separately from the president under the Philippine law. The vice-president can be propelled to the presidency if the president dies or is incapacitated.
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Neither Duterte nor his spokesperson has yet to issue an official statement on the endorsement.