Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 2) — A senator said Davao City Mayor and presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio has what it takes to be the country's next leader.

"If the next leader of our country would emerge from the young, fresh and new faces in national politics – my top choice right now is Sara Duterte," Lacson said at a weekly media briefing Thursday.

"She's strong-willed, stern, vibrant, progressive-minded and has obviously good leadership qualities," Lacson said of the 40-year-old mayor.

Lacson said this is his personal opinion and clarified he is not in any way endorsing the presidential daughter.

President Rodrigo Duterte has said his daughter is not interested in any national post, but Duterte-Carpio herself has not issued a final answer.

A Pulse Asia survey in April showed many Filipinos back the younger Duterte for senator. The private pollster said she would be among the top six senators if the 2019 midterm polls were held the day the survey was conducted.

The next presidential election is in 2022, but Duterte has made it clear he will step down from his post immediately if the proposed shift to a federal form of government is approved.

In the same press briefing, Lacson called on Filipinos to reject any form of influence-peddling from presidential relatives – as experienced during past administrations.

He cited as examples Imelda Marcos, the wife of late President Ferdinand Marcos; Peping Cojuangco, the uncle of former President Benigno Aquino III; and Mike Arroyo, the husband of former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"It is not about them. It is about undue intrusion in some major state affairs in which they have no business interfering," Lacson said.

His comment comes amid some lawmakers' confirmation that Duterte-Carpio was behind the controversial ouster of Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as House Speaker. They said the feisty mayor asked representatives for support in ousting Alvarez and electing Arroyo as House leader.

This is a claim Duterte-Carpio has neither confirmed nor denied.

Lacson earlier told CNN Philippines the presidential daughter's involvement in the House leadership change "doesn't speak well of the much touted strong leadership of the President."

There are also talks of representatives leaving PDP-Laban for Lakas-CMD, Arroyo's political party before she pledged allegiance to PDP-Laban in October 2017. Lakas-CMD may then merge with Duterte-Carpio's regional party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Duterte-Carpio said her party is willing to forge alliances with other political groups, but added it is not ready to go national.

CNN Philippines' Anjo Alimario and Eimor Santos contributed to this report.