MANILA - Pasig Vice Mayor Iyo Caruncho Bernardo on Thursday said he has secured the endorsement of vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio in his mayoralty bid against incumbent Mayor Vico Sotto.

Bernardo was among the Metro Manila leaders who reportedly attended a recent gathering where President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter vowed to support the candidacies of the attendees.

“Yes… [I was] with Mayor Sara yesterday in Pasig,” Bernardo told ABS-CBN News when asked to confirm about the endorsement.

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“Any endorsement is welcome especially from someone like Mayor Sara who has made big difference in the lives of the people of Davao,” he said in a text message.

“Upliftment of the lives of the Pasigueños is my only goal. Her (Duterte-Carpio) leadership, I believe, must be emulated,” he said.

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In a Facebook post, Bernardo said he would also campaign for the Duterte-Carpio in Pasig City.

Sotto said he has nothing much to say about Duterte-Carpio’s endorsement.

“Wala naman akong reaksyon, okay lang naman,” he told ABS-CBN News in a chance interview.

“Karapatan naman natin sino gusto natin i-endorse, hindi naman kailangan ng comment doon,” he said.

In 2016, Sotto tweeted his disappointment over the burial of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“Huwag tayo magpaloko! Tama na ang historical revisionism!” Sotto, who was then a city councilor, said in a tweet.

(Let’s not be fooled! We should stop historical revisionism!)

Duterte-Carpio is running alongside presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

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The Pasig mayor’s uncle, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, is also vying for the vice presidency.

In an SWS survey conducted in October, Sotto was the frontrunner among vice presidential aspirants with 44 percent, followed by Duterte-Carpio with 25 percent.

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When asked if Sotto would seek the endorsement of his relative, the Pasig City mayor said: “My uncle and I have not really talked much politics.”

The 32-year-old mayor earlier distanced himself from national politics, saying he would rather focus on his job in the city.

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