By Celerina Monte

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday that at the moment, he can be considered a vice presidential candidate in the 2022 elections "to maintain the equilibrium."

Duterte said he did not want to be considered a "lame duck" as he has only one year left before his six-year term ends in June next year.

"Maybe to maintain the equilibrium for all, consider me as a candidate for the vice presidency at this time," he told reporters in the inauguration of a railway project in Antipolo City.

Duterte admitted that he did not want to be a lame duck as his term is about to end.

"It's just for politics, leverage...you would know what is a lame duck...that's posturing, political posturing so that they would not treat you badly because I'm leaving," he said when asked about his possible vice presidential run.

He said if he wins as vice president and the winning president is not his ally, "all I have to do is to join the military and the police in the fight against crime, drugs, especially criminality and all, and also may be go around the ASEAN countries for a more cohesive relation between them."

Duterte, however, reiterated that he offered before his support to House Majority Leader Ferdinand Romualdez should he decide to run for vice president in next year's polls.

Some of the President's partymates in PDP-Laban have urged him to seek the vice presidency in 2022 elections. DMS