Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., a presumed gubernatorial candidate for next year’s midterm polls, said that he has no intention of running for office.

According to Evasco, if President Rodrigo Duterte calls on him to run for the province’s highest office, his candidacy would be a “big sacrifice.”

“Sa tinood lang, wa na man g’yud koy interes mo dagan og gubernador kay kung padaganon ko ni Duterte dinha dako kaayo ning sakripisyo para sa akoa,” said Evasco.

Evasco added that he is also not planning to run for a seat in Congress through Bohol’s first district.

He cited age as reason for his waned political ambition, noting that he wishes to rest and spend time with his family.

“Sa akong edad karon, di na ko mangusog, dili na ko magpa-ugat, dili na ko magpakamatay na makuha nako ang maong posisyon, pero kung ihatag na sa ginoo, ngano man pud na balibaran,” he said.

“Kung di pod mo-abot anang dapita, kalipay pud na nako kay makapahulay na ko gikan sa serbisyong publiko…mahatagan akong kaugalingon na makig-uban sa akong pamilya, mga amigo,” he added.

However, Evasco implied that his decision was not final as Duterte could tap him to be the administration’s gubernatorial candidate in Bohol.

In the 2016 presidential election, Duterte won by landslide in Bohol with 303,468 votes over closest rival Mar Roxas who garnered 196,045 votes.

Prior to Duterte’s victory in Bohol as the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan’s standard bearer, the province was considered as a bailiwick of the now-opposition Liberal Party, Roxas’ political party. (A. Doydora)