Manila: Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is running for Philippine president, according to a media report on Saturday.
"Yes, I am running," he told Philippine news website Rappler during a phone interview on Saturday.
Duterte was at a party hosted by senator and vice presidential candidate Alan Peter Cayetano where he reportedly announced his intention to run for the presidency.
Duterte, 70, had repeatedly said he would not seek the nation's top post despite hundreds of supporters egging him to run.
When asked about what made him change his mind, he told Rappler: "There are things in life that would move a man, a citizen, to do something even if he doesn't enjoy it."
Duterte said he will consult the leadership of political party PDP-Laban on when he would file his certificate of candidacy and said he will make a formal declaration after he secures the party's blessing.
