Magdalo using Rody to further Senate ambition — Palace

MANILA, Philippines -  Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella yesterday accused Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano of riding on the popularity of President Duterte to secure a senatorial seat for the party-list Magdalo in the midterm elections in 2019.

Abella expressed suspicion that Alejano will be fielded by Magdalo to replace Trillanes, who is on his last term at the Senate.

“Well, I would see first before I talk about that. You know, the other thing that all this noise is being created for example by the Magdalo representative, it seems to be, you know, it seems to be orchestrated in a sense of apparently, he’s also wanting to run for senator in place of Trillanes,” Abella said.

The Palace lashed out at Alejano after he filed an impeachment complaint against President Duterte for encouraging summary killings in the government’s war on drugs and for allowing China’s incursion in the West Philippine Sea.

Abella refused to dignify further Alejano’s claims and Trillanes’ latest call for the President to simply file libel charges against him.

“In other words, what I’m saying is that hindi naman natin kailangan patulan lahat ng mga ganyan eh ’di ba (we do not have to dignify all such things),” he said.