Is PDP-Laban, the majority party, bound for extinction? The fact that its current head, President Duterte and his long-time aide, presidential bet Senator Christopher “Bong” Go chose to run under an obscure party is an indication of its waning relevance.
THE fact that President Duterte and his long-time aide Senator Christopher “Bong” Go have filed their certificates of candidacy under a least-known party the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) and not the ruling party, PDP-Laban, gives an insight into the latter’s near extinction.
It was the PDP-Laban that Duterte used in his presidential bid in 2016.
And it is the same party that he wanted his daughter, Sara, now a vice presidential teammate of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., to run in.
But Sara ran under Lakas-CMD, now actively headed by former President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, who herself is running for reelection in Pampanga in the hope of regaining the speakership of the House.
Legal complications
But palace spokesman Karlo Nograles was quick to defend Duterte from running under PDDS instead of PDP-Laban as “to avoid any legal complications”.
To recall, two factions are vying for legitimacy in running under the majority party—the camp of presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao and the camp of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Duterte and Go recently formalized their bids for senator and president, respectively, under PDDS before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office.
PDDS was accredited by the poll body as a national political party in October 2018.
It was founded by Greco Belgica, chairman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.
Allies
During a Palace press briefing, Nograles was asked why Duterte and Go used the PDDS vehicle to launch their respective campaigns when they both belong to PDP-Laban.
“Well, first of all, ‘yung (the) PDP-Laban and PDDS are allies. May alliance po ang dalawang partidong ‘yan (Both parties have an alliance),” Nograles answered.
“At ‘yung pag-file po nila Senator Bong Go at Pangulong Duterte under PDDS ay para umiwas sa any legal complications that may or may not arise dahil po may ongoing na legal issue ngayon ang PDP-Laban sa Comelec para hindi na magkaroon ng mga any legal complications after itong nangyaring substitution,” he added.
The Pimentel faction backed the presidential bid of Senator Manny Pacquiao, while attacking several policies of the administration, leading to the disintegration of the party.
Sara too
As the majority party, the PDP-Laban would have been a good vehicle for Sara Duterte-Carpio to use in her bid for either the presidency or the vice presidency.
But since she chose Lakas-CMD—a virtual sleeping giant party—she just resurrected an old party abandoning her very own, Davao-based Hugpong ng Pagbabago, which she tearfully bowed out to.
She claimed to have asked for support from PDP-Laban for her “tandem” with BBM (as Marcos is often referred to) but the ruling party rejected it.
PDP-Laban is chaired by her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, who almost had to face-off with his daughter for the vice- presidential seat until he ran for senator.
“Ang aking partido ay nakipag-alyansa at humingi ng suporta para kay Bongbong Marcos at para sa akin matapos kong tanggapin ang inyong hamon at panawagan. Tinanggihan ito ng PDP at naiintindihan natin ito,” Duterte-Carpio said in a video statement.
“Pero gusto ko lamang na linawin — walang pangalan na sinisira o dinudungisan, walang sinasagasaan, walang inaagrabyado, inaaway, pinapaiyak o inaapi,” she added.
Despite the supposed rejection from her father’s party, Duterte-Carpio appealed to the public to continue supporting the Duterte administration.
“I ask for unity. Our goal is not only to continue what President Duterte has started but also to improve them,” she said in Filipino.
“The people will make me strong. And it is through our solidarity and unity that we will be able to build a stronger nation,” she added.
The Cusi-wing of the PDP-Laban party, with which Duterte is associated, has yet to respond to Duterte-Carpio’s claims.
Partnership
While Duterte-Carpio is running under Lakas-CMD, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) has adopted and endorsed her as Marcos Jr.’s running mate for next year’s elections. Marcos Jr. is the presidential candidate of the PFP.
Marcos Jr.’s spokesperson Atty. Vic Rodriguez has said that Duterte-Carpio has yet to accept the endorsement from PFP formally.
Nonetheless, the Davao City mayor’s latest remarks, admitting that she was seeking support for her and Marcos Jr., reveal the two politician’s partnership.
Lakas-CMD has also yet to comment on the tandem of Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio.
For his part, President Duterte has recently made remarks against Marcos Jr. In a recent interview, President Duterte called Marcos Jr. “pro-communist.”
Tags: #PDP-Laban, #PDDS, #Lakas-CMD, #politicalparties, #Comelec, #Halalan2022