DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio denied holding grudges against Senator Christopher "Bong" Go with regards to his relationship with her father, President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte-Carpio issued the statement on Wednesday evening, August 25, in response to a published article on politics.com.ph, a blog about Philippine politics, with the title, "All gloves off! Sara v Bong Go/Honeylet [Honeylet Avanceña -- Duterte’s common law wife] is proxy fight between Duterte’s first and second families."
According to the article, the mayor and her siblings, Paolo and Sebastian, "have toed the line by staying in the background while showing a united front behind their father."
The article's source said the Duterte siblings "have long harbored a grudge against Go who has been the President’s gatekeeper since his days as mayor of Davao City."
But the Presidential daughter denied that there is a conflict between her and President Rodrigo Duterte's former special assistant.
"This is not true. It seems the source talking does not know me. I do not hold a grudge against Senator Go with regard to his relationship with PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte]," Duterte-Carpio said.
She added she is "not the keeper of the President," adding her father is allowed to have his friends similar to her.
"Why would I be furious about the need for an appointment to see the President, what matters is I see the President," the mayor said.
She called the article's source "mababaw (shallow)."
Duterte-Carpio’s latest comments came after she urged her father and Go to “own up to” their political decisions for next year's elections.
She told her father and Go, in an earlier statement, to own up their decision to run as a tandem in the 2022 presidential elections.
The mayor confirmed that the President told her that he will be running for vice-president, while Go, his long-time aide, will run for president.
"It was not a pleasant event. I was left with two letters endorsed to me by the President for consideration -- one note explained why I should endorse the Go-Duterte tandem and the other suggested that I take in Senator Go as my vice-president," Duterte-Carpio said.
She suggested both Duterte and Go to "own up publicly their decision to run as a tandem" and stop talking about her and make her the basis of their running or not running.
"I respectfully advise them to stop talking about me and make me the reason for them running or not running," the mayor said.
Duterte-Carpio also maintained that she will not make a last-minute decision on running for President compared to the way her father did in late 2015.
"I am not a 'last 2 minutes' person. I think, I organize, and I implement accordingly. In the meantime, I refuse to be a political punching bag for a party in complete disarray," she said.
Go said in a statement on Thursday afternoon, August 26, that he already talked to the mayor.
“Wala kaming isyu sa isa’t-isa. Kung anong pagmamahal ko sa tatay, ganun din ang pagmamahal ko sa mga anak. Alam ni Pangulong Duterte yan (My love and support to the father is equally the same to his children. President Duterte knows that),” the senator said.
Go recently said that he is not interested in running for a higher post, and that he will support the Dutertes, regardless of their political plans next year.