DAVAO City Councilor Alberto Ungab said there have been no discussions yet on who will take the seat in the 21st City Council once Rodrigo “Rigo” Duterte II assumes the vice mayor position.
“We all know that those particular recommendations would come from the mayor, so, so far, there are no consultations now,” Ungab, who chairs the committee on appointments and reorganization, said during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
“Maybe there are already some suggestions at this point — we don’t know,” he added.
Ungab said that conducting consultations at this stage would be premature, noting that they would rather wait for the city mayor to initiate discussions and consult the councilors.
He also confirmed that there have been no talks within the HTL party regarding the possible replacement.
However, in a separate interview, he said that since Rigo is from the first district, it is likely that the replacement councilor will also come from the same district.
Kitty Duterte for councilor?
When asked by reporters about the possibility of Veronica “Kitty” Duterte being appointed as councilor, Ungab declined to comment, saying there had been no discussions in the city council on the matter.
“I am not going to comment on that because I don’t know; I haven’t heard about the thing,” he said.
In an earlier interview, when Rigo was asked about Kitty’s potential nomination as replacement councilor, he said the idea remains open.
“Possible, maybe, but we still have to discuss it within the party,” he said.
Baste as mayor, Rigo as vice mayor
Rigo confirmed in an interview that he is set to officially assume the post of vice mayor by the end of 2025, following the failure of his grandfather, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, to take his oath of office. This would also follow after his uncle, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, assumes the position of city mayor.
“There is no official update yet, but the lawyers have informed me when exactly,” he said.
“Maybe before December, that was the story told to me. I will take my oath with Mayor Baste, so there is no official date yet,” he added.
Rigo also said there would be a joint oath-taking between him and Sebastian.
Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is currently in The Hague, Netherlands, facing proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with alleged crimes against humanity over his administration’s war on drugs.
To recall, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), through a letter dated June 30, directed Baste to perform the duties of city mayor to ensure continuity of local government operations. Citing Section 46(a) of the Local Government Code, the agency clarified that the designation is both legal and necessary due to FPRRD’s temporary incapacity to assume office.
Under the same succession framework, the DILG also designated Councilor Rigo Duterte, the top vote-getter in the 2025 elections with 119,324 votes, as acting vice mayor. RGP