Bato Dela Rosa gets Duterte's nod for president

Updated Mon, October 11, 2021 at 1:29 PM Published Fri, October 8, 2021 at 4:24 PM

Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa confirmed he received President Rodrigo Duterte's blessing to run for president in the May 2022 elections.

He filed his certificate of candidacy on the last day of filing as the standard-bearer of the ruling PDP-Laban party's faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag stated that Dela Rosa was not the party's first choice for president but was "available."

Dela Rosa expressed surprise at the turn of events, noting his decision was finalized about two hours before the certificate of candidacy filing deadline.

He initially desired for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to run in his stead and is willing to withdraw his candidacy if she decides to run for president under PDP-Laban.

Dela Rosa acknowledged the possibility of a substitution until November 15 and would still support Mayor Duterte-Carpio if she ran under a different party.

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Rodrigo Duterte Sara Duterte 2022 Elections Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa PDP-Laban

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