Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and who is running for the vice presidency in 2022 elections, confirmed Tuesday her alliance with presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr who is now leading the poll.
Speaking for the first time since filing her candidacy on Saturday, Duterte-Carpio, 43, appealed to Filipinos to back the tandem.
In a video post on Facebook, Duterte-Carpio said she is confident that Filipinos will help and support them until the elections are won amid the challenges.
She said the overwhelming support of the people is making her strong.
Marcos, 64, the only son of former President Ferdinand Marcos, confirmed their alliance in a separate statement. Marcos' party adopted Duterte-Carpio shortly after the Davao City mayor registered her candidacy on Saturday.
Duterte-Carpio said her decision to ally with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not meant to derail the candidacy of other aspirants.
"Our objective is not only to pursue the initiatives of President Duterte but to enhance the administration's programs further," she said, calling for unity.
Under Philippine law, the president and vice president are elected separately.
Right after the presidential daughter's filing last Saturday, Duterte's longtime aide-turned-senator Christopher Go went to Commission on Elections office in Manila with the president to change his application, submitting his certificate of candidacy for president and withdrawing that for vice president.
On Monday which is the last day for making candidate substitutions, Duterte, 76, filed his certificate of candidacy for senator in the coming elections.
He announced last month that he was retiring from politics and would not run in the next elections "in obedience to the will of the people."
Duterte was elected as the president of the Philippines in 2016, and his term ends on June 30, 2022. The constitution limits Philippine presidents to a single six-year term. The next elections are scheduled to be held on May 9, 2022. (ANI/Xinhua)
( With inputs from ANI )
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