Duterte to join PDP-Laban rally in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte is expected to endorse the candidates of the PDP-Laban faction aligned with his administration during a campaign sortie in Cebu tomorrow, a party official said yesterday.

If the event pushes through, the vote-rich province of Cebu would be the first of about 20 areas that Duterte may visit to rally support for his political allies gunning for various electoral posts this year.

“March 31, Thursday, that will be the first public appearance of PRRD (President Duterte) to endorse the candidacy of PDP-Laban. It will be in Cebu, in Lapu-Lapu City, it is being arranged now,” PDP-Laban secretary-general and Cabinet secretary Melvin Matibag said at a press briefing held in Quezon City that was streamed on Facebook.

“We are planning, probably, more or less 24 areas, the President will appear to endorse the senatorial candidates of PDP-Laban and also those being endorsed and adopted by the PDP-Laban and the local candidates as well,” he said.

Matibag said the President’s visit in Cebu would be for a project of the government’s anti-insurgency task force and that politics would just be “on the side.”

Asked whether Duterte would endorse presidential aspirant and former senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio during the sorties, Matibag said he does not want to preempt the President.

“I don’t want to speculate but as PDP-laban, we already made the endorsement of (former) senator Bongbong Marcos to be the next president. I’m also hoping that the πresident will make a personal endorsement,” Matibag said.

“So, I hope before the elections an endorsement will come, but I don’t want to preempt the President on his personal endorsement,” he added.
Duterte is the chairman of the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. The other faction is led by Sen. Koko Pimentel and is endorsing the presidential bid of Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

While the Cusi wing has endorsed Marcos, Duterte has not issued a statement expressing support for the former senator. The President has said he won’t endorse any presidential aspirant unless there is a “compelling reason” that would change his mind.

During a meeting with local leaders in Oriental Mindoro last November, Duterte said Marcos, the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is a “weak leader” with “baggage.”

Matibag expressed confidence that Duterte’s endorsement would boost the chances of PDP-Laban’s candidates, citing the President’s high trust and approval ratings.

“His (Duterte) endorsement will really matter,” he said.
Cusi’s PDP-Laban faction’s endorsement of Marcos and Duterte-Carpio was supported by a majority of its members.

Lourdes Pimentel – widow of the late former senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. who co-founded the party – slammed the PDP-Laban faction for its move when the party was founded in response to the dictatorial rule of Marcos’ father and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Rallies banned in Davao City

Duterte-Carpio refuses to hold a grand rally in Davao City for her and her running mate, as well as the UniTeam’s senatorial slate.

The mayor also earlier ordered that there shall be no motorcades and caravans for all political parties, including her own UniTeam, until May 8.

Aside from the continuing increase in fuel prices, the vice presidential candidate also would like to prevent the possible renewed surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in this part of the country.

Duterte-Carpio said such political rallies would have been to her advantage since she is a candidate but she also pointed out that she is the mayor of Davao City and is a bit apprehensive as she also has to look after the welfare of her constituents.

The ban on grand political rallies as well as motorcades and caravans applies to other political parties, and not just UniTeam.

Baste a ‘crowd drawer’

Davao City acting mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte is fast becoming a strong crowd drawer in the rallies of the UniTeam coalition of his sister.

Sebastian represented his sister in the rallies in South Cotabato where crowds were screaming for him.

Even on social media, netizens have been wanting to interact with the younger Duterte, who is also hoping his father will ultimately endorse Marcos for president. – Edith Regalado, Emmanuel Tupas