Joey de Venecia appointed PDP-Laban secretary general

MANILA, Philippines - The party that led the late President Corazon Aquino to Malacañang in 1986 and installed former Makati mayor Jejomar Binay as vice president earlier this year is on expansion mode.

PDP-Laban president Koko Pimentel swore in businessman Joey de Venecia as secretary-general recently. He previously held the post of economic adviser to the party, whose founders include the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., Binay, and former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., father of the incumbent party president.

Pimentel said De Venecia was “a great addition” to the party, whose top executives met last week to hear De Venecia’s presentation on what he learned from a recent visit to China representing Binay at a poverty alleviation summit. De Venecia pointed out that within the last 30 years, some 240 million Chinese had been lifted from poverty to middle class status.

Whether under the free market economy or a communist system which evolved under China’s leadership, De Venecia said that what is important is the political will of a country’s leadership.

“PDP Laban can provide that will and that leadership to alleviate the majority of Filipinos living in abject poverty, and bring back good old moral values to society,” De Venecia said.