Presidential son Sebastian “Baste” Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for vice mayor of Davao city at the last minute after previously saying he has no political plans.
On October 17, the last day of the filing period, Baste filed his certificate of candidacy as the running mate of Sara Duterte, his sister, in the mid-term polls next year.
Baste will be seeking an elective post for the first time with Sara’s Tawong Lungsod Hugpong ng Pagbabago political party.
The musician shared that he thought hard about his decision and it had the blessing of their father, President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It was a long process. I thought about it months ago dili siya sayon na desisyon na for me. I thought na it’s an honor to serve the people of Davao,” Baste said.
“Nagtanong ako sa tatay ko. Sabi niya okay naman daw pero yung desisyon is mine alone. So nagdecide na rin talaga ako,” he added.
Baste will join Duterte’s children with former wife Elizabeth Zimmerman to file for candidacy.
Paolo Duterte, former vice mayor, will be taking his chance as the representative of the first district of Davao city.
Change of heart
Baste is notable for his previous publicized relationship with actress-model Ellen Adarna and his brief stint as a star of his own reality show called Lakbai.
Duterte had also previously labeled him as a womanizer and a lover boy.
In February last year, the president expressed his frustrations with him when he visited the grave of his mother Soledad in Davao city.
“Nasasaktan ako para sa apo ko as I have not seen the guy (Baste),” Duterte told the media, adding as he addressed his son: “Umuwi ka na kasi iyong anak mo hindi ka na kilala,” Duterte said in a speech.
Duterte also took a swipe at Baste again for allegedly failing to provide financial support for his children.
The younger Duterte had a son with a Davao-based model and a daughter with another former girlfriend.
The chief executive also held no dearth in criticizing Baste’s relationship with Adarna earlier even when he was already told of their breakup.
Last March, Duterte called his son a womanizer and cited Adarna’s name again even though she was already involved with actor John Lloyd Cruz.
A month later, the Davao vocalist emphasized having no political plans in an exclusive interview.
“As much sa possible, gusto ko talaga iwasan, kasi wala, e, magulo. Tapos yung family ko, ganyan na sila. Nandiyan na sila so I got used to it na,” he said.
Baste did not specify in interviews his reason for suddenly changing his tune in entering the public office.
Omar Duterte
While being in favor of banning political dynasties, Duterte confessed he wished one of Paolo’s sons, Omar, to be the future mayor of their hometown.
“May interest na lang ako, ‘yung apo ko maging mayor ng Davao. Okay na ‘yan,” he said.