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Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will be running as independent and not under any national party if she decides to join the 2022 presidential race. Hugpong ng Pagbabago spokesperson Anthony del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said Mayor Sara has already said that she will not join any national party and she remain to be member of HNP, a Davao base political party.

He also explained that under the HNP’s policies, no member can use the party when running for any national position.

In June, Mayor Duterte said over the city-run radio that she has no intention of joining any national party.

“I have no plans of joining a national political party. As I said, I will stay with Hugpong ng Pagbabago in Davao Region and Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod of Davao City,” she said.

Del Rosario also disclosed that the planned agreements with seven national parties have yet to be signed. Under the agreement, each national party will submit at least one senatorial candidate who will be endorsed by HNP.

“As of the moment, we have not been given the names since we have not signed the Memorandum of Agreement between HNP and the seven national parties,” he said.

Meanwhile, PDP-Laban Executive Director Ron Munsayac, who is a Pacquiao ally, said, that “most” members of the party see the endorsed Go-Duterte tandem as a “smokescreen.”

“We’re in touch with our old guards and grassroots party mates daily. The sentiment of most of our party mates is that the tandem is merely a smokescreen for their real candidate — Mayor Sara Duterte,” Munsayac said.

“This is merely a smokescreen/distraction. Then at the last minute, they will back out and give way to their real candidate,” he added.

Munsayac surmised that the move to endorse a Go-Duterte tandem was meant to “disable [and] weaken the political party vehicle [PDP Laban] of a real PDP Laban presidential candidate by also using it, although unauthorized, for a presidential candidacy which is not even serious and is merely a decoy candidacy.”

Duterte-Carpio is not a member of PDP-Laban but rather the chairperson of the regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).

In reaction to Munsayac’s statement,Go maintained he was not interested in joining the presidential race.

“Thank you very much to my fellow PDP-Laban members — no matter which faction. Don’t worry about me because I am not interested in running for president,” Go said in Filipino.

“Whatever [position] is left, then that’s what I’ll take. If there will be any other position left,” he added.

Go previously said he would only change his mind if Duterte would pick him as his running mate.