Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (Mainichi)

       MANILA (Kyodo) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose term will expire in 2022, will run as his political party's candidate in the vice presidential race in May next year, a party official said Tuesday.

       In a statement, the party's Executive Vice President Karlo Nograles said Duterte "agreed to make the sacrifice and heed the clamor of the people, and accepted the endorsement of the PDP Laban Party for him to run as Vice President in the 2022 National Elections."

       Duterte's eldest daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, the mayor of Davao City, has expressed willingness to run for the presidency in the simultaneous presidential and vice-presidential elections, raising the possibility of a father-and-daughter team joint effort.

       There has also been strong speculation, however, that the ruling party would endorse Duterte's former aide, incumbent Sen. Christopher Go, as its presidential candidate.

       Duterte's move is seen by critics as a way to maintain power by circumventing the Constitution, which limits the position of president to a single six-year term. Whether one can run for a successor position is up for debate.

       According to opinion poll survey results released in July, Duterte-Carpio ranked first in preference as a presidential candidate while her father ranked first in the vice presidential bid.

       Duterte has said that the vice president position would be a chance for him to gain immunity from lawsuits when he steps down, especially with a looming investigation by the International Criminal Court on his purported human rights abuses.

       He has been criticized both domestically and internationally for leading a government campaign against illegal drugs that resulted in the killings of thousands of suspects.

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