On Wednesday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte may compete for a national office, but this must be evaluated.

The presidential daughter announced her withdrawal from the Davao mayoralty campaign on Tuesday, November 9. Her younger brother, Sebastian 'Baste' Duterte, withdrew his candidacy for Vice Mayor hours before her announcement, claiming that it was directed by his sister.

In her declaration, the Davao City Mayor also stated that she will be replaced as Vice Mayor by her brother, who will be replaced by Davao City Councilor Melchor Quitain Jr. She did not, however, specify what her next action would be. This fueled suspicion that she is aspiring for a national role.

Some speculated that she might seek for the highest office in the nation, while others speculated that she would run for Vice President under presidential hopeful Bongbong Marcos. Previously, the presidential daughter has stated several times that she will not run for president.

According to GMA News Online, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez stated that Sara Duterte may compete for a national post, but it would not be under her Hugpong ng Pagbabago party because it is a regional party.

“Political party po ‘yan [Hugpong ng Pagbabago] pero regional. So hindi siya puwedeng tumakbo sa national level except as an independent candidate,” Jimenez said.

“Ang kailangan lamang ay maging member siya ng political party noong taong isa-substitute niya. Ibig sabihin hahalili siya sa ibang tao, kailangan kapartido siya ng taong ‘yon,” the Comelec spokesperson said.

Jimenez emphasized that if Sara Duterte intends to employ Article IX, Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code, or the "substitution," she must be a member of the same political party on or before November 15, the deadline for registering a substitute for a candidate.

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