Many were left dismayed and disappointed when Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte withdrew from the presidential race and decided to drop out. For people who are rooting and cheering for the "Iron Fist" to run for president and eventually win the position, they were left with something more to be desired. After talking to my family and everybody else connected to my life, I would like to categorically state now, and also to end the agony of those waiting and for those who believe in me, I’m not running for President. I’m sorry,” Duterte said at a news conference held in a hotel in Davao City. Duterte said he plans to retire from politics next year and will not run for president in 2016. According to some sources, those who are close to Duterte were very surprised in his decision to withdraw from the presidential race, and many did not see it coming.
Nevertheless, there is still an ember of hope that Duterte will eventually change his mind once again, this time to go back to candidacy and run for president this coming 2016 elections. Of course many factors have played in Duterte's decision, mainly his age, and the obvious desire of his family to not run for presidency and focus more on his role as the mayor of Davao City. Of course it's still too early to come to conclusions that Duterte will change his mind, but one thing to consider is that the filing of Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) for the position of president is still a long way ahead, as this will provide ample time for Rodrigo Duterte to think about his decision and finalize everything in his plans. Some say that the reason Mayor Duterte backed out from the presidential race is more than just his age and his family. The possibilities of his potential candidacy rivals digging the previous issues in Davao City, namely the killings made responsible by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) influenced Duterte to withdraw from the presidential race, mainly because he is being referred to as the mastermind behind the aforementioned killings in Davao. Despite his decision, Duterte’s party, the PDP-Laban, is not giving up hope that he will run for President. "We respect Mayor Duterte’s decision. But advocates of federalism are still hopeful that he will reconsider his decision not to run before the deadline for filing [certificates of candidacy] on Oct. 16," said Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, president of the PDP-Laban. Pimentel said Duterte had always been saying he would not run so the mayor’s announcement on Monday was “not an earth-shaking” development for the party. "I believe it’s no longer my time to be in politics, I will retire after my term," he added. Duterte’s statements seemed to have doused the excitement of an expectant crowd outside the hotel. One woman, apparently not understanding what was going on, asked, "So, is he finally running now?" Duterte also apologized to the politicians from different parts of the country who had prodded him to run and who might be disappointed by his decision to back away.

The excitement has turned quickly into disappointment, as Duterte quelled any doubts on his candidacy for president in the coming 2016 elections. But its still too early to know for sure if he will ever change his decision. Many are hoping that he indeed will, but only time will tell if Mayor Duterte plans on either retiring in politics, or making a comeback and run for presidency once again. What do you think of the possibilities of Duterte running for president? Will he change his decision? Share us your thoughts down below and write us a comment!
Source: Even Demata