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Pulong Duterte submits his certificates of candidacy via lawyer Elijah Manuel Pepito
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Davao 1st District Consultant Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has made official his bid for an additional reelection by submitting his certificates of candidacy (COC) in Davao Metropolis.
The submitting of his COC, achieved on Monday, October 7, was submitted via his lawyer, Elijah Manuel Pepito.
He’s the primary of the sons of former president Rodrigo Duterte to file his COC, a day earlier than the deadline set by the Fee on Elections (Comelec). He’s searching for a 3rd and last workplace time period.
To this point, Pulong’s reelection bid is being challenged by two unbiased candidates – Rex Labis and Janeth Jabines – who filed their COCs on separate events final week.
The 49-year-old congressman, the eldest Duterte son, has been strolling a advantageous line in his political profession. On one hand, he has been counting on his household’s highly effective political equipment in Davao; however, he has been distancing himself from the controversies which have lengthy been shadowing his household. But, scandal isn’t far behind.
His political profession started modestly. Beginning because the barangay chairman of Catalunan Grande in Davao Metropolis in 2007, Pulong moved up the ranks to turn into a metropolis councilor as consultant of the native Liga ng mga Barangay, after which vice mayor in 2013.
Pulong’s spouse January, who succeeded him as barangay chairperson of Catalunan Grande in 2013, is a metropolis councilor, representing the native federation of barangays to town’s legislature.
Controversy hounded Pulong when his father grew to become President. In 2017, throughout his tenure as Davao’s vice mayor, he was linked to a P6.4-billion drug smuggling scandal involving a cargo of shabu (meth) from China.
He was accused of involvement in a felony syndicate, with allegations that he had a dragon tattoo – the mark of the Chinese language triad – on his again.
Pulong denied the allegations, calling them a part of a political smear marketing campaign. However he invoked his proper to privateness, refusing to point out a tattoo, which he admitted he had, fueling public suspicion.
The controversy marked a turning level in his profession, casting a shadow over his fame. However regardless of that, each a Senate panel and the Workplace of the Ombudsman cleared him attributable to lack of proof.
The scandal led to his abrupt resignation as vice mayor in December 2017, a transfer he framed as an act of “delicadeza” following a public spat along with his daughter on social media. Nevertheless, his resignation was removed from the top of his political profession.
In 2019, Pulong secured a seat within the decrease home, representing Davao’s 1st District, and shortly rose to the function of deputy speaker. The victory marked a comeback that confirmed his potential to navigate the shifting currents of the political panorama. He additionally received a reelection by a large margin in 2022.
But the drug smuggling allegations saved to hounding him. Pulong’s title resurfaced in ongoing congressional investigations linking offshore playing and the drug commerce.
A former customs officer linked Pulong, his sister Sara’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and Michael Yang, a Chinese language who served as financial adviser to the Duterte administration, to an alleged P11-billion drug cargo in 2018.
In August, amid rumors of cocaine use involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Pulong proposed a invoice calling for random drug exams for all elected officers, together with the President. The timing of the transfer raised eyebrows, with some seeing it as an try by the Dutertes to deflect consideration and shift the narrative towards their rivals.
On Wednesday, October 2, Pulong accompanied certainly one of his kids, Rodrigo II or “Rigo,” who was the first of the Dutertes to file a certificates of candidacy in Davao. Rigo is searching for a seat within the metropolis council.
Rigo is certainly one of Pulong’s three kids along with his former spouse, Lovelie Sangkola. Their marriage was annulled in 2006. Pulong later remarried, tying the knot with January Navares, with whom he has two extra kids. – Rappler.com
