Deja vu? Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte supposedly said, “I leave it to God” when asked about his openness to run for vice president in the 2022 elections – remarks similar to those he made before gunning for the presidency.

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“I think I will quote the President, he leaves it to God,” said Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Thursday, May 27, when asked if Duterte plans to run for vice president.

Yet in March, Roque himself had said he had heard Duterte dismiss the idea of seeking the vice presidency.

“I’ve heard the President say at one point na, siyempre, naging Presidente na siya, bakit siya magba-vice president. Pero I don’t know if there’s been any change,” he had said on March 11 during a Palace news briefing.

(I’ve heard the President say at one point that, he’s become president already, so why would he want to become vice president? But I don’t know if there’s been any change.)

Pressed if Duterte’s more recent statement means a change in the chief executive’s mind, Roque said, “I think you have to accept his answer for what it is, he leaves it to God.”

Rehash?

These were exactly the same words Duterte uttered in October 2015, in an interview with Rappler, when asked if he would seek the presidency. A month later, he would announce his bid.

“Well, let us see. I don’t know. I leave it to God. If he wants me there, he will place me there. Ganoon iyan. (It works that way.) It’s God’s play. It’s not ours,” said the then-mayor who was being egged on by multiple groups to run for chief executive.

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Duterte had played coy for months before finally announcing his presidential bid in November 2015.

Since March, some members of Duterte’s national political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), have been publicly urging Duterte to run for vice president. But PDP-Laban acting president Senator Manny Pacquiao had quickly clarified that the public calls were not authorized by the party’s leadership.

After his stint as OIC vice mayor of Davao City in the 1980s, Duterte has only agreed to play second fiddle to one person, his eldest daughter Sara Duterte. He served as vice mayor while she was mayor, from 2010 to 2013.

There are also calls for Sara to run for president. Duterte, meanwhile, has publicly said he does not wish for Sara to seek the post. – Rappler.com