“Digong wants some continuity.”
I understand why President Duterte’s announcement of his plan to retire from politics has been met with skepticism and speculation.
It is construed by many as his maneuver to allow his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio reconsider running for President, because she expressly detested the idea of father-and-daughter tandem vying for the top posts in the May 9, 2022 polls.
In a surprising move, Digong is having his best friend, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, filling in for him for the vice-presidential run.
It is said to be for the same reason — to push Inday Sara to run for president — that Senator Go had rejected the PDP-Laban’s endorsement for him to be the administration’s standard-bearer.
Further, critics and political analysts say all this is a ploy to keep the opposition off-balance and fragmented at least — until the deadline for substitution on Nov 15.
The whole hullaballoo attests that Digong has done a great job and the Filipino people reasonably clamor for Inday Sara to carry on Tatay’s program of government.
Everyone in the opposition wants to be the next president and thinks they now have a viable chance to win but anxiously do not discount the possibility of Inday Sara suddenly running for president.
Nothing can be more far-fetched, according to former-senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. who believes that Inday Sara is true to her words, as she has shown consistently.
As a former LGU executive himself, BBM understands and supports the Davao City Mayor’s decision to go for re-election and focus on leading her townsfolk through the continuing COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
BBM said the next seven months should be a time to nurture Filipinos’ “sense of nationhood” under the leadership of President Duterte.
I cannot agree more and I share BBM’s empathy with Digong.
To me, the President’s announcement of quitting politics means a lot more than Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s decision to hang up his boxing gloves simply because he can no longer fight as well as he did years ago.
In contrast, Digong is more than capable of leading this country for another six years but he is constrained by the 1987 Constitution’s term limit.
He has done so much more than the accomplishments of the previous five presidents combined, such that continuity must be assured.
He wants to guarantee he leaves the government in good hands.
Sunday morning was a cunningly unexpected move by the President indicating that everything is falling into place.
BBM has yet to declare his candidacy as of this writing but he strongly believes Digong’s legacy will be paramount in the people’s mind.
If given the chance, Senator Go is more than able and ready to assume as a “working Vice-President” as he promised.
It has been quite a roller-coaster ride for Digong in the last five years, especially in the past year and eight months of the worst calamity in world history.
The 76-year old Digong gave all he had and did what he had to do to alleviate the quality of life amid the extremely difficult times.
Now the President deserves a break as well as our heartfelt gratitude for a job well done.
Taking some time off politics may not be such a bad idea, to be with his loved ones in the serenity of madayaw Dabaw.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao was compelled to declare his retirement from boxing to dramatize his seriousness about running for President otherwise he might be deemed a “nuisance candidate.”
Anyway, he can always go back to the ring after the presidential race.
And, who would mind really if the President-wannabe goes to Las Vegas for a couple more boxing matches to settle the score with Yordenis Ugas and, perhaps, Floyd Mayweather?