Duterte says daughter Sara now taking lead on family's political decisions
President Rodrigo Duterte said his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is now taking the control of the family's political decisions.
This is despite having two sons - former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, the eldest and is running for a congressional seat in the city, and Sebastian, Carpio's vice mayoralty candidate in the May elections.
"But now Inday (Sara) is the one taking the lead. Inday is the one who controls the poli(tics). I'am already out," Duterte said in a speech in Cebu on Sunday.
He acknowledged that after three years when his term as president ends in 2022, he would be out of politics.
"I will no longer be able to run and you will also not be able to tell Inday what to do," he said.
He recalled how Carpio was instrumental in ousting his friend Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as House Speaker last year.
Alvarez was replaced by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte said Alvarez was only joking when he mentioned that he could also impeach him as president being the speaker.
"Have you seen Inday? Alvarez was just kidding around...so if you will make a joke, don't joke around with someone who has a father, mother, sibling and children behind her. You better watch out," he said.
Duterte said Carpio was even "worse" than him.
"If you go to Davao, you have to go about it carefully. I beat people up too but Inday is worse than me. Have you seen the sheriff that she punched? She even pulled his hair. He was almost bald," he said, referring to a sheriff who tried to implement the eviction of some squatter families in Davao City in 2011, but was stopped by Carpio, who was mayor.
Aside from Carpio, Duterte has another teenage daughter, Veronica, with his long-time partner Cielito "Honeylet" Avancena.
Duterte said his two daughters are the "most superior" among all of his children.
In the case of Sebastian, Dutete said he was always thinking about women.
Paolo, on the other hand, quit in December 2017 as Carpio's vice mayor following a word war with his daughter over social media and after he was accused of involvement at the Bureau of Customs on the shipment of over P6 billion illegal drugs from China. He, however, denied the allegation.
Carpio, head of the Davao-based regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago, has been active in campaigning for 13 senatorial candidates in the May elections.
There were talks she might run for president in the 2022 polls. Celerina Monte/DMS
