REGARDLESS of the results of the May 9 elections, Davao City Mayor and vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Sunday, May 1, that she will no longer return to local politics.
In a speech during the Dumper PTDA (Drivers United for Mass Progress and Equal Rights–Philippines Taxi Drivers Association) partylist on Labor Day at the Davao Crocodile Park grounds, Duterte-Carpio thanked her constituents during her nine non-consecutive runs as city mayor.
"Mga Dabawenyo, manamilit nako kaninyo kay dili nako makabalik o dili nako mubalik sa local government nga pagdagan nga position. Bisan unsay mahitabo karong May 9, 2022, gusto kong mahibaw mong tanan na (To all the Dabawenyos, I will be saying my goodbyes as I will no longer return in running for the local position. Regardless of what will happen on May 9, 2022, I want everyone to know that) it has been a great honor to have been chosen by all of you as mayor of Davao City," Duterte-Carpio said a week before the national polls.
She recalled the challenges she encountered in her stint as local chief executive of the city, including the Roxas Night Market that left 17 people dead and 74 injured, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Daghan kaayo kog ikapasalamat kay dili tanang mayor, gitagaan og ing-ana nga suporta sa ilang mga kauban (I have so many things to be thankful for because not all mayors are given the same amount of support from their constituents). It was a pleasure to have made memories with all of you mga (fellow) Dabawenyos, and it is indeed my pride again to make history with all of you," she said.
Duterte-Carpio, who was first elected as mayor from 2010 to 2013 and in 2016 up to the present, made history as the youngest mayor and the first lady to be elected mayor in the city.
The crowd, in the middle of her speech, chanted "daog na (sure win)."
To which, she responded, "Basta muingon ang syudad sa Davao ug ang Mindanao nga mudaog ko, kusog ang akoang kumpyansa nga mudaog ko (When Davao City and Mindanao will say that I will surely win, I am confident that I will surely win)."
Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio reiterated her support for her UniTeam running mate former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., of which she lauded the latter's political experience.
The mayor also vowed to continue the anti-criminality and infrastructure projects of her father, outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte.
"Ang amoang pamilya, dunay dako kaayo nga utang nga kabubut-on sa inyong tanan sa paghigugma ug suporta na ginahatag ninyo kanamo (My family is in debt to all of your love and support that you bestowed upon us)," she said.
The mayor had already formally bid farewell to the Dabawenyos in her State of the City Address in March this year as she campaigns for the second-highest position in the country.
She described the vice-presidential race as a challenge that allows her to spread her wings wider, "soar higher, and reach new heights."