The Mayor of Davao City, one of the most popular presidential candidates from the Visayas and Mindanao area maintained his stand that he will not run or not interested in running for a national position in 2016. The statement was issued by Mayor Duterte when Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay said he is eyeing the Davao City mayor as a possible running mate in the 2016 national elections.
According to an earlier statement of the Vice President, Mayor Duterte is highly qualified for the position as Vice President because of his successful record as mayor of Davao City for over 20 years.
Mayor Duterte on his part revealed to the media that he already plans to retire after his term as Mayor of Davao City ends. He was quoted as saying “I am not running for any national position. As I have said before, my daughter would be willing to run again. I will retire from this term from public life… I am old,” he said.
Although Mayor Duterte already aired his stand on his political plans, supporters of the Mayor held on Saturday morning a fun run along Roxas Boulevard to encourage the mayor to run in the 2016 presidential polls.
The event organizers dubbed the event as “Run Duterte Run 2016,” they noted that the Philippines needs a leader like Mayor Duterte who knows how to discipline his people and has an “iron hand.”