Duterte has final say on PDP-Laban slate — Koko
March 26, 2018 | 4:33pm
MANILA, Philippines — Despite House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Senate President Koko Pimentel's announcements of their own prospective slates, President Rodrigo Duterte will have the final say on PDP-Laban's lineup for the 2019 senatorial elections.
Last week, Alvarez released the names of possible senatorial candidates of the ruling political party including presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, Rep. Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro), Rep. Zajid "Dong" Mangudadatu (Maguindanao), Rep. Geraldine Roman (Bataan), Rep. Karlo Nograles (Davao City), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and special assistant to the president Bong Go.
Pimentel also announced his own list of possible PDP-Laban senatorial bets including Sens. Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Grace Poe and Cynthia Villar, in addition to Alvarez' bets.
The Senate president, however, clarified that he and Alvarez are only in charge of coming up with a "semi-final" list for the ruling party's lineup.
"We will finalize it with the president because we will ask his help in campaigning for these people. He will endorse them, raise their hands," Pimentel said in a news conference Monday.
For senatorial candidates who are not members of PDP-Laban, the party will have to "adopt" them or sign a coalition agreement with them.
The five re-electionist senators included in Pimentel's list are not members of the ruling political party.
In the 2013 elections, Angara ran under Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, Binay ran under the United Nationalist Alliance, Ejercito was from Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, Poe ran as an independent, and Villar is from the Nacionalista Party.
"Even if the guest (candidates) outnumber the partymates, they still have different parties. The greater number of party-affiliated candidates will still come from PDP-Laban," Pimentel said.
Pimentel to 'fight' for inclusion of re-electionists
Pimentel earlier assured the re-electionist majority senators that he would fight for them to be included in PDP-Laban's lineup for next year.
"Of course, I will fight for that, except we are in the state that we are prioritizing our own party-mates," Pimentel told radio dzBB in Filipino on Sunday.
The Senate president made this remarks after Ejercito called him out for "not fighting" for re-electionist senators. Ejercito expressed his sentiments after he and the other re-electionist senators were not included in Alvarez' list of possible senatorial candidates.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
- Latest
- Trending
Trending
Latest
Trending
By Daphne Galvez | 1 day ago
By Pam Castro | 19 hours ago
By Emmanuel Tupas | 1 day ago
By Delon Porcalla | 4 hours ago
Latest
By Cecille Suerte Felipe | 4 hours ago
By Pia Lee-Brago | 4 hours ago
By Christine Boton | 4 hours ago
By Pia Lee-Brago | 4 hours ago
Recommended