MANILA -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration to run for vice president next year has triggered a flurry of criticism from political opponents, party mates and even his own daughter.

"I will run for vice president," Duterte said in a recorded speech aired early Wednesday. "Then I will continue the crusade. I am worried about the drugs [and] insurgency."

But his spokesman later said the president is willing to back out if Davao Mayor Sara Duterte runs for president, drawing a rebuke from the presidential daughter, who has topped opinion polls but has yet to declare candidacy.

The developments, which have perplexed some, could presage further political spectacle in the run-up to the filing of candidacies in October and then in the May 2022 general election.

The 76-year-old tough-talking former mayor -- known for his drug war, which has killed thousands of suspects -- still enjoys high popularity ratings despite his pandemic response, which plunged the economy to its worst performance on record.

Duterte's plan to vie for the country's No. 2 office is seen as a way to circumvent the constitutional limit of a single six-year term for presidents, which was put in place following the 1986 fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for over 20 years.

Sara Duterte, mayor of Davao and daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, speaks during a senatorial campaign caravan for her regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago in Davao in May 2019.    © Reuters

"It shows a clear mockery of our constitution and democratic process," said opposition group 1Sambayan, which is chaired by former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Critics said Duterte is staying on to shield himself from possible lawsuits after he steps down. Experts are divided over his legal immunity.

"Obviously, this is driven by fear of accountability both from the ICC and from our own justice system," said 1Sambayan, referring to the International Criminal Court, which is looking into allegations of crimes against humanity in Duterte's drug war.

Duterte's candidacy will likely face a legal challenge in the Supreme Court, which is dominated by the president's appointees.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Wednesday that Duterte had also said in his declaration speech that he would step aside if his daughter decided to run. The remarks were edited out in the aired video.

In a reaction posted on her Facebook page, Sara Duterte said the president had confirmed to her recently that he would run for vice president with his close aide Sen. Bong Go running for president. "It was not a pleasant event," she said.

She said she was also told to support their pairing or take Go as her vice president. "I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running," she went on.

The president and vice president are elected separately in Philippine elections, where winners are determined by popular vote. Political party Akbayan said a Duterte-Duterte victory "will basically be a political dynasty at the highest level."

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, right, confirmed to his daughter, Sara Duterte that he will run for vice president with Senator Bong Go, left, his close aide, running for president. Photo was taken at the Malacanang Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines on March,12, 2020.   © AP

Sara Duterte leads the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago. Duterte and Go are part of the ruling PDP-Laban party, which is grappling with infighting between a faction loyal to Duterte and one supportive of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, a boxing icon who is considering a presidential bid under the ruling party.

Ronwald Munsayac, PDP executive director and Pacquiao ally, said, "The Go-Duterte tandem is merely a smokescreen distraction for their real candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte."

The tandem is also part of a ploy "to shield their real candidate from political attacks and to weaken the PDP-Laban with this decoy candidacy," Munsayac said.

The presidential daughter said Munsayac should stop blaming her "for the sad state of their political party" and "for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to."

The Davao mayor did not talk about her 2022 plans but said: "I am not a 'last two minutes' person. I think, I organize and implement accordingly."

An analyst said the developments suggest the Duterte camp "still do not have a clear and coherent campaign plan for 2022."

"The internal strife in PDP-Laban is now out in the open, but it is difficult to speculate as to how this impacts the plans of the Duterte clan," said Michael Henry Yusingco, senior research fellow at the Ateneo School of Government. "Anything is possible right up to the deadline of filing of candidacy."

Yusingco urged voters to "hold the candidates to account during the campaign" and "not to be distracted by their gimmicks and theatrics."

"We should not be hooked by all this political drama, [which] is normal in our politics because we do not have genuine democratic political parties," Yusingco said.

Ella Hermonio contributed to this report.