Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte –Carpio (File Photo)

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte –Carpio reiterates that she will make her own decision at her own time whether to seek for the presidency or not.

Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) Secretary General and Davao Del Norte Governor Antonio Del Rosario, in a statement said this was the message conveyed by Mayor Duterte to the members of her regional political party (HNP) after her name was drag into the internal squabble of President Duterte’s ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

“Notwithstanding Mayor Duterte’s unconditional love for her father, Mayor Sara reiterated to HNP that she will make her own decision at her own time whether to run for the presidency or not. She likewise instructed HNP that her decision on the matter will not, and will never be, based on what other people or other parties are doing or saying,” Del Rosario said in a statement.

Mayor Sara believes that running for President of the land is something not to be taken lightly, nor does she care to involve herself, or the HNP, in the internal going on of the PNP-Laban.

“They should simply present to the people what they can offer to our country,and how they can help fellow Filipinos especially during these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running,” Mayor Sara said in a separate statement.

Del Rosario added that HNP firmly stands by Mayor Duterte’s decision to carefully study, analyze and organize her decision for the 2022 Presidential elections. The regional party awaits  her decision, and respectfully urged other parties to desist from using the good Mayor as a “punching bag” as they sort out their own obvious disarray.

Earlier, Mayor Sara directly addressed stalwarts of the other PDP-Laban faction, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and PDP-Laban secretary general Ron Munsayac, saying they should “stop blaming me for the sad state of their political party.”

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi in July said Duterte’s daughter is “more PDP” than Sen. Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s and Cusi’s factions have been battling control over the country’s ruling party. Recently, Cusi’s group ousted Pacquiao as party president.

A Pacquiao ally also alleged that the rift between Pacquiao and Cusi was rooted in Duterte-Carpio’s possible presidential bid. The Davao mayor belongs to a different party— Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

“It is not my fault that no one among you is a leader worthy of the respect of the majority. Do not blame me for the sitcom that your party has been reduced to,” Duterte-Carpio said.

But Pimentel questioned his inclusion in Sara’s statement, noting that the party’s dispute was an internal issue.

“I never dragged an outsider into our internal dispute or blamed an outsider for the internal dispute or for causing the internal dispute. Our internal dispute has been caused by someone from the inside,” said Pimentel.

“That an outsider is being considered as the presidential candidate by an insider is not the fault of the person being mentioned but the fault of the insider who lacks faith, confidence and loyalty to his Party and the talent and skills of the Party members,” he added.