‘Sick and tired’ Duterte regrets presidential run
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2019 16:12:59 +0000
President Rodrigo Duterte is “sick and tired of the system” and regrets having run for the nation’s top post, given the Philippines’ seemingly insurmountable problems.
“I lost my enthusiasm to work. Actually, I deeply regretted it. I regretted my decision to run for president,” Duterte said in the vernacular on Wednesday during the oath-taking of Cagayan de Oro’s newly elected local government officials.
The decision to run for president in 2016, the former Davao City mayor claimed, was spurred by his not having lost an election.
“[S]ince 1988, I was rising until I became President of this republic. But if you ask me if I’m happy now, I won’t lie. Why would I? I do not have any obligation to you to lie, to tell a lie. I’m sick and tired of the system,” he said.
Duterte again warned daughter Sara “Inday” Duterte-Carpio, currently Davao City mayor and rumored to be interested in a 2022 run for the president, from following his footsteps.
“That is why when people speculated Inday… [would] run for president, I told her, ‘Don’t do it, ‘Day. You will not be able to control it. They will disrespect you, those sons of bitches,’” the President advised his daughter anew.
Earlier this year, Duterte-Carpio said she still had to make up her mind.
“Running for president is not an overnight decision. It needs money, machinery, but the most important thing is wisdom and guidance from the Lord because it will be difficult if it’s not intended for you,” she said in February.
“It depends on the circumstances. Maybe, let’s just set a deadline, in January of 2021.”
The 74-year-old Duterte has frequently threatened to step down before the end of his six-year term, previously promising to quit if he was unable to solve issues such as corruption and illegal drug trade.
He has denied claims that a push to introduce federalism was prompted by a desire to stay in power, and also told the military and the police to seize power if they deemed him no longer capable of leading the nation.
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