Sen. Bong Go said Friday he would run for president in the 2022 elections only if President Rodrigo Duterte runs as his vice president.
Go made the statement after a faction of the ruling PDP-Laban party endorsed him as a candidate for the highest post in the land. The faction, led by President Duterte's energy secretary Alfonso Cusi, is supporting the 76-year-old leader's vice presidential bid for 2022.
"Gaya ng sinabi ko noon, ang makapagbabago lang ng aking desisyon na tumakbo bilang Presidente ay kung si Tatay Digong ang aking magiging Bise Presidente. Dahil alam ko na yun ang magiging totoong ‘continuity’," Go, a long-time aide of President Duterte, said in a statement.
President Duterte has expressed openness to running for vice president once he leaves Malacañang next year -- a move that has been criticized by political analysts as an attempt to circumvent the law since a sitting president cannot seek reelection.
While Duterte had previously said in jest that Go wanted to be president, the first term senator had also repeatedly brushed off a possible presidential bid, even telling the public to "consider me last."