PDP-Laban names Pacquiao, Velasco as party leaders

MANILA, Philippines — The ruling PDP-Laban has appointed boxing icon Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as party leaders, Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., the party’s executive vice president, announced yesterday.

He said Pacquiao and Velasco were designated as heads of the PDP-Laban contingents in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Gonzales said Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel lll, the party’s vice chairman and president, respectively, approved the designations.

Aside from Pacquiao and Pimentel, it is not clear how many senators belong to PDP-Laban.

In the House, the ruling party had 84 members after last May’s elections. At least 12 members have deserted it and joined the National Unity Party.

The designations were made, apparently, to avert any more desertions. Under a term-sharing agreement arranged by President Duterte, Velasco would take over the position of speaker from Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano after 15 months.

Gonzales said Pacquiao and Velasco promised to schedule regular meetings with party members in the Senate and the House to foster closer cooperation, and that Velasco is expected to work for more committee assignments for PDP-Laban congressmen from the House leadership.