Duterte's Daughter Ready to Run in 2022 Presidential Election

jpnn.com, MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter, Duterte-Carpio, has submitted her candidacy for vice president, the poll body said Saturday.

The move ends months of speculation over her plans for an election in 2022.

The Election Commission (COMELEC) said on Facebook that a vice presidential candidate from the Lakas-CMD Party had withdrawn the candidacy file and was replaced by Sara Duterte-Carpio.

The replacement file was submitted by a representative, COMELEC said.

Duterte-Carpio, 43, through her spokesman, confirmed the proposal and said she would issue a statement in the near future.

Duterte-Carpio's decision to target the country's second-highest office has come as a surprise as she has led polls so far this year as a potential presidential candidate.

"It's a surprise," Antonio La Vina, a lecturer in law and politics at Ateneo de Manila University, told Reuters. "Another surprise is the VP for whom."

Duterte-Carpio's 76-year-old father is barred by the Constitution from running for a second six-year term. He last month said he was retiring from politics.