Former President Rodrigo Duterte neither showed up nor sent a representative at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to change the status of his candidacy, which means he remains as contender in the 2025 Davao City mayoralty race.
As of this writing, the Comelec said Duterte’s certificate of candidacy for (COC) for mayor has not been withdrawn. He filed his COC on Monday, October 7, with his son Sebastian—the incumbent mayor—sliding down as his running mate.
Duterte consistently appears in the Top 12 of preferred senators based on recent pre-elections. In a recent press conference at his household, however, the former president said he might no longer be physically fit for a national position because of his age.
He instead declared himself open to a possible return as mayor of Davao City, a position he held for most of his political career.
An earlier flash report from DZRH radio said Duterte would withdraw his COC for mayor and instead join the 2025 senatorial race, which was neither confirmed nor denied by his camp.
Comelec already closed the COC filing at 5:00 PM today, October 8, after an eight-day period.
