DAVAO CITY – City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio took her oath of membership today (November 11) with the Lakas-Christian, Muslim Democrats (CMD) in a day of whirlwind surprises and pushing a notch higher the political guessing game of whether or not she was on the train ride to the Presidential elections.
Duterte-Carpio affixed her signature to the one page at 6:00 pm.
Her membership with the Lakas-CMD of former President Gloria Arroyo, a close friend of her father, came within the day that she filed her resignation with her regional party, the Hugpong ng Pagbabago. Her handwritten letter to HNP triggered a new round of excitement for her supporters, coming only two days after she and her brother withdrew their respective local candidacies, the latter to take her mayoral candidacy.
While expressing surprise with the resignation, HNP spokesman, Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony del Rosario, acknowledged the heightened discussions and guess works that she was on the road to a Presidential candidacy. The HNP has long tweaked the idea to the mayor to run as President was repeatedly told that she would stick with her mayoralty candidacy.
But Duterte-Carpio remained tight-lipped with her plans and including the Lakas-CMD as she declined to talk with reporters during her attendance to an event held by the Revillas, where she was seen as partner of Presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Presidential candidate, Ronald dela Rosa, also a patron in the event, said he would talk with President Duterte to withdraw his candidacy if it would be clear that the Presidential daughter would finally make it clear that she would run for President.