This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Pulong Duterte submits his certificate of candidacy through lawyer Elijah Manuel Pepito
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Davao 1st District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte has made official his bid for another reelection by filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) in Davao City.
The filing of his COC, done on Monday, October 7, was submitted through his lawyer, Elijah Manuel Pepito.
He is the first of the sons of former president Rodrigo Duterte to file his COC, a day before the deadline set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). He is seeking a third and final office term.
So far, Pulong’s reelection bid is being challenged by two independent candidates – Rex Labis and Janeth Jabines – who filed their COCs on separate occasions last week.
The 49-year-old congressman, the eldest Duterte son, has been walking a fine line in his political career. On one hand, he has been relying on his family’s powerful political machinery in Davao; on the other hand, he has been distancing himself from the controversies that have long been shadowing his family. Yet, scandal is never far behind.
His political career began modestly. Starting as the barangay chairman of Catalunan Grande in Davao City in 2007, Pulong moved up the ranks to become a city councilor as representative of the local Liga ng mga Barangay, and then vice mayor in 2013.
Pulong’s wife January, who succeeded him as barangay chairperson of Catalunan Grande in 2013, is a city councilor, representing the local federation of barangays to the city’s legislature.
Controversy hounded Pulong when his father became President. In 2017, during his tenure as Davao’s vice mayor, he was linked to a P6.4-billion drug smuggling scandal involving a shipment of shabu (meth) from China.
He was accused of involvement in a criminal syndicate, with allegations that he had a dragon tattoo – the mark of the Chinese triad – on his back.
Pulong denied the allegations, calling them part of a political smear campaign. But he invoked his right to privacy, refusing to show a tattoo, which he admitted he had, fueling public suspicion.
The controversy marked a turning point in his career, casting a shadow over his reputation. But despite that, both a Senate panel and the Office of the Ombudsman cleared him due to lack of evidence.
The scandal led to his abrupt resignation as vice mayor in December 2017, a move he framed as an act of “delicadeza” following a public spat with his daughter on social media. However, his resignation was far from the end of his political career.
In 2019, Pulong secured a seat in the lower house, representing Davao’s 1st District, and quickly rose to the role of deputy speaker. The victory marked a comeback that showed his ability to navigate the shifting currents of the political landscape. He also won a reelection by a wide margin in 2022.
Yet the drug smuggling allegations kept to hounding him. Pulong’s name resurfaced in ongoing congressional investigations linking offshore gambling and the drug trade.
A former customs officer linked Pulong, his sister Sara’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, and Michael Yang, a Chinese who served as economic adviser to the Duterte administration, to an alleged P11-billion drug shipment in 2018.
In August, amid rumors of cocaine use involving President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Pulong proposed a bill calling for random drug tests for all elected officials, including the President. The timing of the move raised eyebrows, with some seeing it as an attempt by the Dutertes to deflect attention and shift the narrative toward their rivals.
On Wednesday, October 2, Pulong accompanied one of his children, Rodrigo II or “Rigo,” who was the first of the Dutertes to file a certificate of candidacy in Davao. Rigo is seeking a seat in the city council.
Rigo is one of Pulong’s three children with his former wife, Lovelie Sangkola. Their marriage was annulled in 2006. Pulong later remarried, tying the knot with January Navares, with whom he has two more children. – Rappler.com
