DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 March) – Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte “rejected” the possibility of running for senator in the May 2025 elections.
In an interview with YouTube channel “Boss DaDa TV,” the mayor said “wala talaga, ayaw ko” (I don’t want it) when asked if he will run in the senatorial race to “continue the legacy of his father,” former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Okay naman ako sa Davao. Ayaw ko na ng malaking sakit sa ulo, tama na ‘to. Marami pang improvements na pwedeng gawin dito sa lugar ko (I’m okay with Davao. I don’t want more headaches. There are still many improvements that I can do for my place),” Duterte said.
The YouTube episode was uploaded Monday, March 11, and viewed 1,904 times as of 3:28 p.m. Tuesday.
The younger Duterte said “he can’t control if people push him to run for senator,” but that he “will not entertain it.”
He noted there are “many more potential senatoriables” out there, those who have the “commitment to do what is right for the people.”
“Kung elected official ka, dapat progressive ka. Iniisip mo dapat ano ang dapat baguhin, yung i-improve palagi araw-araw (If you’re an elected official, you should be progressive. Every day, you must think what to improve),” Duterte said.
Duterte said being in politics is like entering a “tight and chaotic” race – as most politicians “want to become a Senator, a Vice-President or a President.”
He said he does not want to be dragged into “any political narratives.”
The mayor has voiced his political opinions lately, especially during the “prayer rallies” of the Hakbang ng Maisug in the cities of Davao and Cebu.
The rallies were organized against the alleged people’s initiative to change the 1987 Constitution. The Commission on Elections had suspended its proceedings related to the alleged people’s initiative.
Duterte even dared President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to resign during the Hakbang ng Maisug Leaders Forum at the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City last January 28.
“Mr. President, if wala kay gugma ug aspirations sa imohang nasod, resign! (If you don’t have love nor aspirations for your country, resign!),” the mayor said then.
During the Cebu rally, he also took a swipe at House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez for being “isog” (brave) “because he is a cousin of the President.”
All the children of former President Duterte with estranged wife Elizabeth Zimmerman have entered politics and currently holding elective positions: Sara, Vice President; Paolo or “Pulong,” Davao City First District Representative; and Sebastian or “Baste,” Davao City Mayor. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)