[PODCAST] Seat of Power: Sara-less, Go-less Duterte prepares for hedging game in 2022

For all his survey popularity and the clout that comes with being the most powerful man in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte is so far without an anointed successor, after his own daughter Sara Duterte and longtime aide Senator Bong Go decided not to run for president.

In this Seat of Power episode, Rappler senior reporter Pia Ranada tries to piece together the events that led to this unlikely scenario and what it means for the 2022 elections.

The ruling coalition’s political unspooling – starting from Sara’s decision to run for vice president to Go’s withdrawal from the presidential race – calls into question how much control Duterte really has over political events.

Family dynamics play a role in what might have otherwise been cold calculations by Duterte.

Listen to other Seat of Power episodes:

• Episode 1: COVID-19 ward doctor assesses Duterte’s pandemic response
• Episode 2: Duterte’s hands all over ABS-CBN franchise rejection
• Episode 3: The frightening future of Duterte’s anti-terror law
• Episode 4: Duterte’s 2020 SONA in 5 minutes
• Episode 5: What happens if Duterte gets COVID-19?
• Episode 6: Duterte, Trump, Bolsonaro: The ‘medical populists’
• Episode 7: Pandemic leadership: Duterte vs Leni
• Episode 8: Duterte’s secretive Malacañang
• Episode 9: Duterte’s vaccine dreams vs reality
• Episode 10: Duterte’s role in the Cayetano-Velasco Speakership tussle
• Episode 11: 4 reasons why Duterte’s ratings are still high
• Episode 12: ‘Corruption crackdown’ by a master of spectacle
• Episode 13: Covering a President who lies
• Episode 14: Tarlac shooting: Blood on Duterte’s hands
• Episode 15: Unpacking the PSG vaccine mystery
• Episode 16: China’s new Coast Guard law and Duterte
• Episode 17: Duterte’s VFA threats: Negotiating tactic or rash outburst?
• Episode 18: Is Duterte responsible for ‘Bloody Sunday’?
• Episode 19: What is Duterte’s actual role in pandemic response?
• Episode 20: Duterte, despite bluster, makes big climate pledge
• Episode 21: A conversation with Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade
• Episode 22: Rodolfo Biazon on what the President should keep to himself
• Episode 23: 2022 political moves start now
• Episode 24: Duterte supporter on why President still popular on last year
• Episode 25: What will Sara decide?
• Episode 26: Jess Dureza on how Duterte leads the Cabinet
• Episode 27: Who is editing out key portions of Duterte speeches?
• Episode 28: Who is Michael Yang?

– Rappler.com