Why settle for vice president?

Based on updated Comelec records, there are now 94 aspirants for president and 26 for vice president. Out of this number, only six candidates for president can be considered as highly prominent political figures, namely: VP Leni Robredo, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Bong Go, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Mayor Isko Moreno, and former senator Bongbong Marcos.

While those aspiring for the vice presidency, only four of them are well-known and popular public servants, namely: Sen. Tito Sotto, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Former Manila city mayor Lito Atienza, and lately, Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio.

In the many interviews with the mainstream media, President Rodrigo Duterte issued a statement expressing his intention to run for vice president; but when his daughter ran for the same position, he then in haste filed his certificate of candidacy for senator through his authorized representative.

The president, in an unexpected turn of events, acted wisely and decisively to keep himself from engaging in a rare political fight with his daughter who settled for the vice presidency.

To the great astonishment of her friends and supporters, Sara Duterte Carpio ran for vice president in tandem with presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos. Why settled for vice president? This is the question from many quarters who expected her to run for the highest post of the land.

The latest Pulse Asia Survey showed she was leading by a huge percentage of votes over that of other presidential aspirants --an indication that she would surely win as president if elections were to be held today.

Political analysts theorize this is now the precise time for Sara to run for president (definitely not for vice president), considering that the popularity or trust rating of her father (President Duterte) shows no sign of decreasing. Presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo proudly commented, "If Inday Sara Duterte changes her mind and seeks the presidency, she will win."

With this latest political development wherein Sara Duterte Carpio settled for the vice presidency under Lakas-CMD and in tandem with Bongbong Marcos of PFP, it will be anybody's guess as to whether or not she will emerge a winner in the upcoming vice presidential race. But for PRRD supporters and loyalists, they still hope and pray that his daughter will be able to get an overwhelming mandate from the Filipino electorate.

Inday Sarah's preference of running for vice president rather than for president finally put to an end the much-talked about secret political strategy of President Duterte and his allies in the fielding of their candidates for the country's two highest elective posts.

President Duterte and his daughter might have failed to establish constant communication with each other to make their political plans clear and doable. From the bird's eye view, however, it is now very clear that the father and the daughter have their own different hardline political stance.

Confident with her own political agenda, Sara Duterte Carpio proved to one and all that she could perform her own style of playing the game in the country's political field unaided by her father's popularity and endorsement.

Joselito S. Berdin

Lapu-Lapu City