DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said her recent trips outside the city will not affect her mayoral duties, especially in responding to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Duterte-Carpio, in a statement posted on her official Facebook page on Sunday evening, July 18, said her travels are covered by leaves of absence and that she has apportioned her time between her family, politics and being mayor of Davao City.
"I have divided my entire week between my work as mayor, my politics, and my family. All my travels are covered by duly filed leave of absences. I assure all Dabawenyos that my strength as a mayor is to take on several roles and ensure that work is carried out," the mayor said.
Amid the ongoing pandemic, she said this will not suspend the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) from October 1 to 8, nor stop the national elections on May 9 next year.
"It is true that there is a pandemic, but it will not suspend the filing of COCs [certificate of candidacy] in October or postpone the elections [in] May 2022. A decision has to be made regarding my political career with or without the pandemic," she said.
Meanwhile, she said her "person" is only the one leaving the city three days a week.
In her absence, she said her brother, Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte will be the ones heading the city, while all department offices will ensure "that operations and services are uninterrupted."
Duterte-Carpio had been invited to attend numerous engagements across the country.
The Davao City mayor told Cebu press during her visit at the Provincial Capitol on July 9 for a courtesy call on Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, that she is “open” to the idea of running for the presidency in next year’s national elections.
She also visited Zamboanga City on July 14, wherein the two cities signed a sisterhood agreement.
Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio, in a radio interview on Monday, July 19, said she will no longer be answering "politics-related" questions in her Special Hour program on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
She said this is to give way to address Covid-19 related concerns and other important matters.
"All questions about my personal life and politics, we'll leave that for other venues and interviews," she said.
Previously, Duterte-Carpio had been issuing her political statements during her once a week program.
She, however, had not yet formally announced her political plans next year but she will reportedly announce her decision by the end of the month.
Her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, told her to run “some other time.”
Duterte-Carpio said that she is currently weighing the public’s pulse for her possible candidacy to the higher post, although she had emerged to top various surveys.
The presidential daughter’s party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago, is currently forming alliances with other political parties.