BEIJING: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s long-time aide Christopher Go on Wednesday reiterated that he is not interested in running in the 2022 Philippine presidential election despite getting his party’s nomination on Wednesday, but Chinese experts remain confident that bilateral ties would maintain “pragmatic and moderate” no matter who gets elected, as the route serves the best interests of the Philippines.
Senator Go was officially nominated as 2022 presidential candidate of Duterte’s PDP-Laban at the party’s national convention on Wednesday. Duterte, who is prevented by the constitution from running for a second six-year presidential term, was also nominated to run for vice president in 2022.
Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday became the first to declare his candidacy.
Go, who is not a front-runner in public opinion polls, announced in August that he is “not interested” in running for president, and reiterated that he hopes PDP-Laban will continue to “respect my decision,” local media reported.
Given the improvement and development in China-Philippines relations during the Duterte administration, some have expressed concerns that the Duterte route may not continue beyond 2022. But experts say the Philippine leader’s China policy in the post-Duterte era will continue to be pragmatic and moderate.
So far, Philippine presidential contenders with military and police connections, who are part of the late president Benigno Aquino III’s clique and who are backed by the US, are polling poorly, Chen Xiangmiao, an assistant research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
President Duterte’s daughter Sara Duterte, who is also the Mayor of Davao City, is leading public opinion polls along with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, despite the two having yet to announce their candidacies.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
