Hundreds to attend PDP-Laban convention as COVID-19 cases surge
MANILA, Philippines (Updated Sept. 8, 2021, 8:04 a.m.) — As the country experiences its worst spike in coronavirus cases, the faction of PDP-Laban led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi will be holding a national convention on Wednesday where up to 400 people would be physically present at a convention center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
PDP-Laban president Cusi explained that their members would like to see the party’s national leaders in person, which is why they pushed for a hybrid meeting where most of the voting members will be present, while the rest will attend the convention through Zoom.
Melvin Matibag, the secretary-general of PDP-Laban’s Cusi wing, also said that the physical presence of new party members is required for them to take their oath.
The convention was originally going to be held in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, but Cusi said they had to change the venue to the LausGroup Event Centre in San Fernando, Pampanga at the last minute as Bulacan shifted to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine.
Pampanga is under the laxer Modified General Community Quarantine, where gatherings of up to 50% of the venue capacity are allowed, according to guidelines set by the government’s pandemic task force on community quarantines as of August 19.
Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, who also serves as PDP-Laban public information chair, assured the public that the gathering is compliant with protocols set by the government’s pandemic task force as they have doubled their health protocols.
The party is restricting the event to members who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who have received a negative RT-PCR test up to 48 hours prior to the convention.
On the day of the event, PDP-Laban members present will be subjected to antigen testing and will be required to wear face masks and face shields and to observe physical distancing.
“The event tomorrow will not be a super-spreader event,” Malaya said.
The Cusi wing of PDP-Laban will be formally nominating their candidates for the 2022 elections during the convention, which is expected to be attended by President Rodrigo Duterte, the party’s chairman.
This comes as the country experiences its worst COVID-19 surge since the pandemic started, with health authorities reporting over 20,000 cases each day for the past four days. Last week, the health department recorded the most number of new infections in a single day.
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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article indicated that Pampanga is under General Community Quarantine instead of Modified General Community Quarantine. This has been corrected. We apologize for this error.
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