Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for president as he seeks to follow the footsteps of his father who ruled the country for more than two decades.
“I don’t have any fight with VP (Vice President) Leni (Robredo). I am running for president, I am not fighting against anyone. Senator Ping (Lacson) is filing as we speak, so it’s not going to be that kind of elections. There are many of us. I would not file my COC if I was not ready to campaign, if I was not ready to answer all your questions. I am ready to answer your questions and I am ready to campaign,” Marcos said shortly after filing his COC at the Sofitel Harbor Garden Tent in Pasay City.
In 2016, Marcos and Robredo were the top contenders in the vice presidential race, which was eventually won by the latter with only over 200,000 votes.
In February, the Supreme Court (SC) sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) dismissed the electoral protest filed by Marcos against Robredo. The camp of Marcos has filed a motion for reconsideration before the high court.
Asked regarding his running mate, the former lawmaker said they are planning to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte but everything changed when the Chief Executive announced over the weekend that he is retiring from politics after his term ends in June next year.
“Well right now, I filed under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and as of now, we have not, no one has a field for VP under PFP and I’ll be very candid with you the reason why that is, is that the original plan was for us to adopt President Rodrigo Duterte for our VP candidate, but from what happened last Saturday, all plans changed. Now, we will consult, the party and of course all our other colleagues on what to do and what do we do now and so that is where it is,” he added.
Marcos was accompanied by his wife, Louise, and two sons, Ferdinand Alexander and Joseph Simon.
On Tuesday, Marcos formally announced his intention to run for president in next year's elections.
Marcos said he hopes to bring all Filipinos to work together towards a shared vision and goal, especially now that the country is facing challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic. (Ferdinand Patinio/PNA)
