VP Sara: Imee urged me to run with Bongbong to win 2022 polls vs Leni

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said on Friday, October 18, that Sen. Imee Marcos asked her to run with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as his vice president in the 2022 national elections.

The reason behind Imee’s request was that the Marcoses would lose the Malacañang seat to former Vice President Leni Robredo without her, which Duterte said she was glad that the president’s sister was straightforward with her.

The vice president recalled that Imee contacted her after the filing deadline for certificates of candidacy in October 2021. 

“Sabi ko, ‘Bakit mo ako nirerequest ngayon na tumakbong vice president?’ And I’m happy that she was honest enough to say, ‘Kasi matatalo kami ni Leni kung hindi mo dalhin ang Bisaya,’” Duterte told reporters at a press conference. 

(I said, "Why are you asking me now to run for vice president?" And I’m happy that she was honest enough to say, "Because we will lose to Leni if you don’t bring in the Visayan vote.")

Duterte initially sought reelection as Davao City’s mayor for a third term, having already filed her COC in 2021. 

She had been adamant about her decision not to run for vice president that same year, even suggesting to Imee to tap other candidates such as Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Sen. Bong Go or former Sen. Manny Pacquiao. 

But Duterte said that Imee told her “Hindi kakayanin (It won’t work),” and that Pacquiao was firm with his decision to run for president in the 2022 elections because it was a “call from God.”  

“It was very straightforward na it was all about winning, sinabi niya sa akin. So sinabi ko sa kanya … ‘Tawagan niyo si Bato dela Rosa. Ask him to slide down to VP, tumatakbo siyang president.’ And then ang answer niya was ‘Nah’,” Duterte said.  

(It was very straightforward that it was all about winning, she told me. So I said to her, 'Call Bato dela Rosa. Ask him to slide down to VP, he’s running for president.' And then her answer was, 'Nah.')

When she suggested her own father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, Imee had told her that it was already “a closed book” since Go was running for president as well at that time. 

Duterte said they could ask Go to step down from the