SAN FRANCISCO, AGUSAN DEL SUR — Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that he is closing his doors for the presidential post.
After his speech to his fraternity brothers in The Fraternal Order of Eagles CARAGA Region, Duterte was cornered by the media and said “for once and for all†that his doors are closed for the presidency.
Duterte said that the main reason for this is that he does not have enough money to fund his candidacy if ever he decides to run.
He said that he would be needing P10-P15 Billion pesos to roll out a presidential campaign.
Previously, Duterte told Davao media that he does not want to ask money from anyone to finance him.
“Kung may pera lang ako, bakit hindi. Pero wala talaga,†Duterte said.
[If I had money, I would. But I really don’t.]
“Wala nga akong pera kahit pang bayad ng watcher dito sa Davao,†he added.
[I do not even have the money to pay for a watcher here in Davao.]
When asked about the people volunteering to support him financially, Duterte said that time will come that those people will stop supporting him.
“They will not support me 24 hours, they might just spend 2-3 hours of their lives supporting me, but time will come they will stop,†he said.
Duterte also pointed to his health condition as one more reason to turn his back to the presidential bid.
Former Mayor Sara Duterte previously said that she does not want his father to run for president because of his age.
The mayor says he agrees with his daughter and believe she is correct.
He also stressed that it is not only Sara, who is against him running for president, but also his other son, Sebastian and his youngest daughter, Veronica.
On the other hand, when asked about a previous interview wherein the mayor describes himself as a “liarâ€, Duterte admitted he loves playing with words.
“I would lie and lie again, maybe I would say that I’m running or I’m not running. I want to make fun of myself,†He said.
