PDP– Laban members told to focus on vaccine rollout

MANILA, Philippines — Members of President Duterte’s party have been told to focus on supporting the administration’s vaccination program against COVID-19 and temporarily step back from efforts to field a viable presidential candidate in 2022.

The instructions to members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) were issued by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, the ruling party’s vice chairman.

“Let us support his (Duterte) efforts to ensure that our economy gets back on its feet with the seamless implementation of Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for COVID-19 Vaccines (NDVP),” Cusi in his message to PDP-Laban members.

The call was made as the Duterte administration continues to draw public criticism over the delayed rollout of the vaccination program in the Philippines while that of neighboring countries are well underway.

“To have a successful rollout of the NDVP, let us relegate to the back burner the issue of who the party will endorse or support as our standard bearer in the 2022 national elections,” said Cusi.

He said Duterte’s success in the vaccine program is the “country’s success and ultimately the party’s success, too.”

While it is important to PDP-Laban that it maintain its status as the ruling party after 2022, members should keep their immediate focus on meeting the extraordinary challenges of this pandemic and other natural disasters facing their constituencies, Cusi said.

“Our party should move in unity and accord toward this specific endeavor,” he added.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, PDP-Laban president, agreed that party members must concentrate first on overcoming the pandemic but said talks on the 2022 cannot be suspended for long.

“Now is not the time to talk about politics. But a few months before October 2021 (filing of candidacies) we (political parties) have no more choice but to talk about and tackle “political matters.” No choice since we are political parties,” Pimentel told reporters.

Even the President’s closest ally in Congress, Sen. Bong Go, said it is too early to talk politics.

Stressing that everyone’s focus should be on addressing the issues brought about by the pandemic, Go said the country will have “no politics to talk about” if it does not recover from this crisis.

He thanked Filipinos for their trust in him and for expressing their desire and support for him to seek higher office.

However, Go downplayed such calls for him to be Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s runningmate should she pursue a bid for the presidency in the May 2022 elections.

“Regarding your mentioning SaGo (Sara-Go tandem), or what others refer to as SaBong (Sara-Bong), I’ve said my thanks for your trust in me and Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, but I’ll just treat you to sago (pearl shake); let’s just refrain from talking politics,” he joked in Filipino.

Pressed for comment on the Davao mayor’s potential bid for the presidency, Go said she is “very much qualified” to lead the country and that he would support her candidacy.