Councilor Dayanghirang is still undecided on what position to run for in the 2019 mid-term elections.
He said the final decision will be up to Mayor Sara Duterte but he can run for Congress, vice mayor, or reelection.
“I am available, I told Mayor Sara. I will be available for Congress 2nd District, for vice mayor, as long as there is no Duterte,” Dayanghirang said.
On the issue that presidential son-in-law Manases Carpio will replace his wife as the next chief executive as Duterte guns for a senatorial seat, the councilor said, “We really do not know.”
“What I know, it’s Mayor Sara who will be running (for the chief executive). For the vice mayor, it is open. It might be (Bernard) Al-ag, it might be (John) Louie Bonguyan, or it might be January (Duterte).”
“I still have one more term so I can just go back to the (council). I will just help Mayor Sara. Wherever I can help her, I will be there,” he said.
Dayanghirang said his presence in the Hugpong sa Pagbabago regional sorties is only to support the mayor. “It’s because I am a little bit known to some because I have been in the council for 25 years, I have been very active with the Young Legislators League, I am with the Philippine Councilors League.”
He said he’s out of the loop when it comes to the selection process of the candidates that will be fielded for the mid-term elections.
Dayanghirang confirmed that several politicians outside of Davao City, including from Cotabato, Pangasinan, and Albay, have met with the mayor to express interest in aligning with Hugpong. The local PDP-Laban is also said to be seeking alliances with Duterte’s party.
But the councilor quoted Duterte as saying that the PDP-Laban must “first resolve the matter with the President.”
“Mayor Sara, as a matter of protocol and respect to the President, does not want to disturb the PDP’s ongoing process,” he added.
