Philippine leader Duterte announces retirement from politics

By JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he is backing out of an announced plan to run for vice president in next year’s elections and will retire from politics after his term ends. That decision clears the way for his daughter politician to take a crack at the presidency. Duterte announced the surprise decision Saturday after accompanying his former longtime aide, Sen. Bong Go, who instead filed his own candidacy for the vice presidency at a Commission on Elections center. Philippine presidents are limited by the constitution to a single six-year term and opponents had said they would question the legality of Duterte’s announced vice presidential run before the Supreme Court. Duterte took office in 2016 and launched a deadly crackdown on illegal drugs.