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Can Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte stage Trump-style presidential comeback?

Former House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez says the country’s constitution allows Duterte to run in a presidential election again

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte speaks last October during a senate inquiry on the so-called war on drugs during his time in office. Photo: AP
Jeoffrey Maitem
As the Philippines’ two most powerful political clans cross swords in the lead-up to the midterm general election in May, a former House speaker has ignited debate on whether ex-president Rodrigo Duterte can make a Donald Trump-style comeback even as his vice-president daughter faces an impeachment trial.

Observers, however, doubt the former firebrand 79-year-old leader would contest the 2028 presidential election given his poor health and legal troubles with the International Criminal Court seeking to put him on trial over extrajudicial killings that took place during his war on drugs while in office.

On Tuesday, former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, an ally of the Duterte family, raised the possibility of a Rodrigo comeback as the campaign to pick Senate and House candidates officially began.

Citing provisions from the 1987 Philippine constitution, Alvarez said while a sitting president could not seek re-election, the rules did not explicitly bar a former president from running again. He also warned that removing Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio could backfire on her political opponents as it might open the door for her father to return.

“It would be disadvantageous on their part. If the vice-president is prohibited from running, her father is still there. He can run. Remember, the constitution [only] prohibits re-election,” Alvarez was quoted by online media platform Politiko as saying.

The Senate, currently in recess, has maintained it can convene an impeachment tribunal to place Duterte-Carpio on trial and potentially remove her from office after President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s annual State of the Nation Address in July.
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