Duterte wants Alan as 2016 partner if he decides to run

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte favors Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as his running mate if he decides to run for president in the upcoming national elections.

Alan Peter Cayetano's no-nonsense image in the Senate complements Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's iron-fist approach to crime 

"Si Alan? Of course. He is a lawyer. He's very articulate, marunong," Duterte said when asked by reporters in Davao whether he thinks Cayetano has what it takes to be the country's next vice president.

The mayor had a private dinner meeting with Cayetano on Tuesday night (Sept. 29),  the same day the senator announced his bid for vice presidency in Davao city.

Duterte confirmed that he and Cayetano briefly discussed the possibility of forming a tandem for 2016, although he clarified that nothing was finalized as he is yet to decide whether or not he would run for a higher office.

“We were just making some projections. We also talked about team-ups and tandems, but nothing definite. Hanggang ngayon, sabi ko, hindi pa naman ako kandidato,” he noted.

Duterte, meanwhile, said if he had one thing in common with the Senate leader, it would be their “good grasp of the practical solutions for [the country’s] problems,” including poverty and the need to improve the economy through adequate infrastructure.

In a separate interview, Cayetano expressed his gratitude to the mayor for supporting his bid for vice presidency. He also said he is willing to wait for a final decision from Duterte, stressing that “a good partner is worth waiting for.”

The senator also claimed that whatever happens in the coming weeks, he will remain committed to his goal of pushing for real change and for a more inclusive growth that will be felt by all Filipino families. #