Duterte to launch presidential bid in Paoay?

MANILA, Philippines - A member of the Marcos family reported having received an invitation to the launching of the presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in Paoay, Ilocos Norte this Saturday.

The source, who requested anonymity, said she does not know why the launch will be made in Paoay, where the Malacañang of the North is located, but added that Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would be at the event.

But Christopher Go, a close Duterte ally, denied this, saying “it is not true and there is no such thing.”

What it may have referred to, he added, is the launching of the vice presidential bid of Marcos, who earlier said he would support Duterte if he seeks the presidency.

In Butuan City, OFW-Family party-list Rep. Roy Señeres said he would launch his presidential bid on Sunday at the Liwasang Bonifacio because not one of the presidential aspirants is taking up the cudgels for 15 million contract workers in the country and the plight of more than 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Señeres said he would run under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka (PMM), which initially short-listed him and Mayor Duterte for its presidential bets.

Senatoriables

As the Liberal Party prepares for a proclamation of its senatorial slate on Friday, President Aquino yesterday endorsed the senatorial bid of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) director general Joel Villanueva.

“I am Joel Villanueva, a certified bartender, from the tech-voc sector, applying for a job at Senate,” he said in a farewell speech during a tribute to TESDA scholars.

Villanueva said he would submit his resignation as TESDA chief today. – With Ben Serrano, Edu Punay, Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica, Edith Regalado, Rainier Allan Ronda