DAVAO City Mayor and presidential aspirant Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday it would be time to retire if the Commission on Elections disqualified him to run in next year’s elections.
He made the statement after a disqualification case was filed against him by Rizalito David, the same person who filed a disqualification case against leading presidential bet Senator Grace Poe.
David opposes Duterte’s substitution for Partidong Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan’s former standard-bearer and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption member Martin Diño.
In a report published by SunStar Davao, Duterte said he was happy that David, who also filed a Certificate of Candidacy for president but was later declared as a nuisance candidate by the Comelec, took time to explain the issues on his candidacy.
“I am happy that he has found time to clear everything. If I’m disqualified it would be okay, no problem,” Duterte said.
He said he would not die if he did not become president. His disqualification would mean retirement and that would be fine because he had already spent 40 years in the government as a mayor, prosecutor and congressman.
“Go ahead and disqualify me,” Duterte said.
In his petition filed with the Comelec, David said Duterte and Diño “desecrated the system with impunity,” given the sequence of events leading to Duterte’s filing of his Certificate of Candidacy.
David said Duterte’s CoC was “not seasonably filed,” and that Duterte missed the filing period in October when he instead filed for reelection in Davao City.
“Not only is Duterte’s CcC for president not validly and seasonably filed but the substitution itself is legally infirm,” David said.
“As there was no valid substitution, not to mention that his CoC was not seasonably filed, his candidacy cannot, therefore, take off. The Commission cannot turn a blind eye to these violations.”
Last week, Duterte said he would support the candidacy of Vice President Jejomar Binay instead of administration bet Manuel Roxas II if he and Poe were disqualified to run by the Comelec in the May 9, 2016 elections.
“If I’m disqualified it’s okay, I don’t care,” Duterte said.
“But this much I can say: I do not have any respect for you [Roxas]. If Grace is disqualified and I am disqualified, I will campaign for Binay.”
