Duterte-Carpio joins Lakas-CMD after leaving HNP
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio joined the Lakas-CMD party Thursday, with Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez swearing in the presidentiaL daughter in Silang, Cavite.
''The officials and members of Lakas-CMD are elated to welcome Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as new member of the party. We have long been inviting Mayor Inday to join our party as we are all impressed with her sterling qualities as a leader and we saw up close her exemplary work ethic as chief executive of Davao City,'' said Romualdez in a statement.
Duterte-Carpio's swearing in came a few hours after she and former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr attended the wedding of Senator Bong Revilla at his farm in Cavite.
Duterte-Carpio remained tight-lipped with her plans and including
the Lakas-CMD as she declined to talk with reporters during the wedding.
Presidential candidate Ronald dela Rosa, who also in the wedding, said he would talk with President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw his candidacy if
it would be clear that Duterte-Carpio would make it clear that she would run for President.
Marcos is running for the presidency. He met Duterte-Carpio a few weeks ago in Cebu City.
Duterte-Carpio left the Hugpong ng Pagbabago Party where she is chairman earlier in the day. The other day, the 43-year-old withdrew her certificate of candidacy as Davao City mayor.
Joining Lakas-CMD, some political analysts said, is the final move for Duterte-Carpio to replace the party's presidential candidate named Anna Capella Velasco.
The Commission on Elections set the deadline for parties to change their nominees on November 15.
Romualdez did not say if Duterte-Carpio will replace Velasco on Monday.
Duterte-Carpio led surveys for the presidency before the filing of the certificate of candidacies from October 1 to 8. It was assumed she would run for the presidency but surprised people by seeking a third and last term as Davao City mayor.
A few weeks ago, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said he spoke to Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia about Duterte-Carpio's presidential bid. Roque, quoted Garcia, as saying ''that ship has sailed.''
It appears that political observers will have to wait until Monday to see if that ship has really sailed. DMS
