Duterte bows out of VP race citing people's will

President Rodrigo Duterte announced his retirement from politics, stating it was the "right decision" and citing "the will of the people" after surveys showed 60 percent of Filipinos believed his potential vice-presidential run would violate the spirit of the Constitution.

This announcement followed Senator Bong Go's filing of his certificate of candidacy for Vice President.

Duterte's satisfaction rating dropped by 17 percentage points, from a peak of +79 percent in November 2020 to +62 percent in a June 2021 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

Despite the satisfaction rating drop, Duterte stated in a late-night address that his rating was still good but "it's time" for him to retire.

He emphasized that he withdrew his vice presidential bid after giving serious thought to the sentiments of the Filipino people.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed Duterte would spend his remaining term guiding the country towards post-Covid-19 recovery.

Netizens expressed mixed reactions to Duterte's decision, with some calling it a "tried-and-tested formula" and others comparing it to a villain's move in a movie.