MANILA -- Davao Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte on Thursday said she is not running for president in next year's election after her father agreed to run for vice president.
"Yes, I am not running for a national position, as we both agreed only one of us will run for a national position in 2022," the mayor told local news outlet ABS-CBN.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday accepted his ruling PDP-Laban party's nomination for vice president during a national convention. His candidacy is widely seen by critics as a move to circumvent the constitutional limit of a single six-year term for presidents and stay in power.
The presidential daughter, who belongs to the regional Hugpong ng Pagbabago party, has topped opinion polls for president but has not declared a bid despite receiving offers from various politicians to be her vice presidential running mate.
Asked by Nikkei Asia if the Davao mayor is open to changing her decision if Duterte drops his vice presidential bid, her spokeswoman Christina Frasco said, "Probably best not to delve on the hypothetical and take Mayor Sara's answer for what it is."
The filing of candidacies is set for Oct. 1 to 8, and the Commission on Elections allows substitutions until Nov. 15.
The presidential daughter's remarks on Thursday about not running for president drew some skepticism on social media, with some pointing to her father's gambit in 2015.
Duterte initially said he would not seek the presidency and joined the race for the Davao mayorship. But he later substituted for a party mate and launched a successful presidential campaign in 2016.
So far, only Sen. Panfilo Lacson has formally declared a presidential bid for the May 2022 election. Other prospective candidates include opposition member Vice President Leni Robredo, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. -- son of the late dictator, and a Duterte ally -- and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
Philippine elections are won by plurality -- the candidate with the most votes. The president and vice president are elected separately.