A wing of the fractured administration PDP-Laban party on Wednesday said it will move forward despite lacking a vice-presidential candidate and with Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go expected to withdraw his candidacy for president under an allied party.
"The party remains steadfast and is committed to [supporting and campaigning] for all its candidates," lawyer Melvin Matibag, secretary general of the wing of PDP-Laban that President Rodrigo Duterte leads, said in a letter to party members.
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Go has yet to formalize his withdrawal but announced it on Tuesday, saying he was unprepared for a presidential run.
Go is Duterte's chosen successor but Sara Duterte-Carpio, the president's daughter, is running for vice president alongside former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the ousted dictator.
Matibag said that despite Go's announcement, the party will "move forward and march on to promote plans and programs for the continuity of good governance started by President Duterte.
The party had initially nominated Go as its presidential candidate with Duterte as vice president but realignments saw Go filing to run for vice president.
He switched to a presidential run after Duterte-Carpio decided to run for vice president.
PDP-Laban can still "adopt" candidates for president and vice president and a separate faction of the party is fielding Sen. Manny Pacquiao for president. Pacquiao is running alongside Rep. Lito Atienza (Buhay party-list).