Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday emphasized the public’s right to choose their leaders following Vice President Sara Duterte’s announcement that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, and siblings Paolo and Sebastian will be running for the Senate in next year’s midterm elections.
“They have the right to run for any position in the forthcoming elections, and it is the right of our fellow citizens to select whom they want to serve in any government position,” Escudero said in Filipino.
Escudero noted that with the last day for filing for the 2025 elections still ahead, much could still change in the political landscape.
“Experience has taught me not to assume nor over-analyze such things but simply watch and observe as it unfolds… many things can still happen,” he said.
Escudero was one of the senatorial candidates endorsed by the elder Duterte in 2022.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez echoed Escudero’s sentiment, saying the Dutertes have every right to run for office as long as they are qualified.
Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Senator Robin Padilla, close allies of the former president, welcomed the potential candidacies of the Dutertes.
“I’m happy because Senator Bong Go and I will no longer be alone during the campaign,” Dela Rosa said.
Padilla, on the other hand, said it was good news.
“I can have more allies in the Senate, aside from Senators Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino,” Padilla said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of a press conference at Bleu Bar and Restaurant in Pasig City.
Padilla will play the lead role in the upcoming movie, “Gringo,” on the life of former Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.
For his part, Honasan said it was up to the people if they want to vote for the Dutertes.
“In a democratic country, only one will decide: God and the people,” he said.
Ex-senators Kiko Pangilinan and Panfilo Lacson, on the other hand, preferred to wait for the filing of certificates of candidacy before making any comments on the matter.
Former Senate president Vicente Sotto III also declined to comment, saying in a text message, “Let’s wait for the deadline for the filing of candidacies then we can comment.”
Political analyst Edmund Tayao, however, sees the development as another classic case of a political dynasty.
“The Senate is starting to resemble a family affair,” said Tayao in a television interview.
Tayao, executive director of the Local Government Development Foundation (Logodef), said the potential Senate bids of the Dutertes could consolidate more political dynasties in the upper house.
Despite the Constitution’s prohibition on political dynasties, Congress has failed to enact enabling legislation for decades.
Senator Cynthia Villar and her son Mark, as well as siblings Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, currently hold Senate seats, while Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senator JV Ejercito are half-brothers.
“It’s not just the Dutertes who will run simultaneously in the elections; we’ve seen in surveys that many Tulfos might also run in 2025,” Tayao noted.
The Tulfo family currently has four members in the 19th Congress: Senator Raffy Tulfo, ACT-CIS party-list Representatives Erwin and Jocelyn, and Quezon City 2nd District Representative Ralph.
“Nowadays, it’s becoming popular for siblings to run together,” Tayao observed.
He cautioned, however, that these announcements are often a way for politicians to test the waters.
“With less than a year until the elections and with the filing of certificates of candidacy in October, potential candidates are still trying to gauge the political landscape,” he said.