MANILA, Philippines — The eldest son of former President Rodrigo Duterte is going for a third term at the House of Representatives.
Rep. Paolo Duterte (Davao City, 1st District) filed his certificate of candidacy for re-election on Monday, October 7. His COC was filed by lawyer Elijah Pepito on his behalf.
Paolo has been the representative of Davao City's first district since the 2019 elections. The incumbent lawmaker's decision to run for re-election ends speculation of his political plans for next year's polls.
Vice President Sara Duterte earlier said her father and her two brothers, Paolo and Sebastian Duterte, would join the Senate race next year.
Deep rifts between the Dutertes and the Marcoses came to a head in January this year after Rodrigo and his son January openly criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a prayer rally in Davao City.
The Duterte patriarch had called the president a "drug addict" and repeatedly alleged without basis that he uses illegal substances.
Meanwhile, during the first House quadcom inquiry, Paolo's brother-in-law Mans Carpio and then-media task force security chief Paul Gutierrez were accused of being the true owners of the multi-billion peso shabu smuggled into the country through magnetic lifters in 2018. Paolo and the two others have since denied the allegations.
Shortly after the first quadcom hearing, Paolo filed a bill that will require all elected and appointed officials, including the president, to undergo "mandatory random" drug testing every six months. — Cristina Chi