Philippines' Duterte announces retirement from politics
October 2, 2021
The often controversial president has said he will not take part in elections in June 2022, opting to step down at the end of his term.
During his presidency, Duterte has earned a reputation for pugnacious remarks and a brutal drug warImage: Toto Lozano/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division/AP/picture alliance
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The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, said on Saturday that he will not stand for election next year and would step away from politics.
Duterte came to power in 2016. He said he will not stand for election as either president or vice president in the upcoming June 2022 elections.
"The overwhelming... sentiment of the Filipinos is that I am not qualified and it would be a violation of the constitution to circumvent the law, the spirit of the constitution" to run for the vice presidency, Duterte said.
"Today I announce my retirement from politics," he added.
The Philippines' constitution limits presidents to just one term in office. Critics said Duterte was running for vice president in an attempt to hold on to power after his presidential term expired.
Duterte's longtime aid and personal assistant Christopher "Bong" Go announced his candidacy for the position of vice president on Saturday, alongside Duterte.
The party had previously been pushing Go to succeed Duterte as president, amid speculation that Duterte would then force Go to resign, leaving him once again as president.
Opponents had said they planned on challenging Duterte's run for vice president in the Philippines' Supreme Court.
After he came to power, President Duterte unleashed a bloody campaign to fulfil his pledge of wiping out the drug trade in the country. DW spoke to some families who lost their loved ones in this controversial drug war.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Daunting challenge
Mimi Garcia holds the pictures of her son Richard and daughter-in-law Robilyn who were killed by masked vigilantes on motorbikes at their shanty home in Camarin, Caloocan city, on October 7, 2016. She faces the daunting responsibility of taking care of her two grandchildren while being jobless at the same time.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Brutal incidents
Andres Fernandez and his son Wesley rest at an altar inside the family home in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. On October 4, 2016, two armed men in masks went inside the Fernandez home and pointed a gun at Wesley. They made him kneel as Andres tried to help. They responded by shooting at Andres first before killing Wesley.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Suspicious killings
One of the children of alleged pusher Kenneth Trasmano lights a candle during the wake of his father in Manila. Kenneth was killed in a police undercover operation after allegedly fighting back on February 2, 2018. His family and neighbors claim the police forced them to leave their homes and get out of sight, and thereafter heard the gunshots.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Left alone
A child holds the pictures of her deceased father Joseph and grandfather Marcelo. Marcelo was killed in a police operation inside their home on July 22, 2016. Her father was rounded up and taken by the police. His lifeless body was later found "salvaged" along a roadside.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Last message
The picture shows letters written by children who have lost either one of their parents in the drug war, as part of their counselling session at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, Caloocan city.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Funeral march
Family and friends walk the funeral procession of Rogelio Gilbuena and his common law wife Jenny Royo, who were both found dead (several hours apart) in different locations in Navotas city, Manila. Prior to their death, the couple were taken from their house in Navotas by 10 men who introduced themselves as police.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Remembering the dead
Families of victims of drug-related extrajudicial killings offer flowers to their departed loved ones during the Holy Eucharistic Mass Action in Bagong Silang, Caloocan.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Calling for justice
Her husband Luis and her son, Gabriel, were killed in September 2016. During their burial, she was stoic. The days after she had laid them to rest were different. "I began looking for them and could not stop crying." MA nowadays attends protest rallies calling for a stop to drug-related killings and justice for those who have died. She hides her face as she doesn't want to be identified.
Image: Raffy Lerma
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What comes next?
Saturday's surprise announcement could open the way for Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, to run for president.
The current mayor of Davao had said last month that she was not planning to run for higher office, adding that she had agreed with her father that only one of them would run.
Duterte-Carpio has been the front-runner candidate in recent polls.
Candidate hopefuls must register by Friday, but withdrawals and substitutions can still be registered until November 15.
This could leave Duterte the option of a last-minute change of heart, mimicking his 11th hour entry into the 2016 election which he ended up winning in a landslide.
Antonio La Vina, a professor of law and politics at the Ateneo de Manila University in Manila, told the Reuters news agency that the current president's announcement "allows Sara Duterte to run," but he could not rule out the possibility of the controversial leader changing his mind.
