Will Bam Aquino be the running mate of Sara Duterte?
Speculations are now afloat about the possibility that Senator Bam Aquino will run for vice president, alongside Vice President Sara Duterte, who has announced her candidacy in the 2028 presidential elections.
Aquino is a known ally of former Vice President Leni Robredo, the incumbent Naga City Mayor. The Senator was even the campaign manager of Robredo when she ran for president in the 2022 elections with her running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
Two years before the 2028 elections, several speculations have surfaced regarding the political plans of government officials.
Based on the report from Abante News, following VP Sara Duterte’s declaration that she will run for president in the 2028 elections, one of the speculations that surfaced was that Sen. Bam Aquino might become her running mate.
This comes after Aquino’s statement that “ideally” the Philippines should be the place to try cases related to alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte. With this, polarizing comments were aired online.
In an interview with Hannah Ty and Dexter Ganibe on the Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “Politiko Nightly” program, Atty. Barry Gutierrez. The former spokesperson of Mayor Leni Robredo said that this is a possible strategy by Aquino to win over Duterte supporters.
But Gutierrez said that Aquino’s move would be meaningless if he intends to run for president. “Kung ang intensyon niya ay liligawan o magpapalambot ng puso ng mga supporters ng mga Duterte… kung president ang kanyang hinahabol, nagdeklara na si VP Sara. Alangan namang iboto siya over VP Sara, ‘di ba?” he said.
The lawyer pointed out that Aquino’s action would just be meaningful if there is another plan, which is to run as VP Sara’s vise president. However, Gutierrez said that as of now, this is just a speculation.
“Magmi-make sense lang ‘yan kung nag-o-audition siya para maging vice president ni Sara Duterte. Pero sa ngayon, espekulasyon ‘yan,” he said.