PDP-Laban has ‘oversupply’ of senatorial bets for 2019

MANILA, Philippines — The ruling PDP-Laban has a “pleasant problem” – an oversupply of possible senatorial candidates in the May 2019 elections, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said yesterday. 

Pimentel, the party president, said at least 20 names, including five reelectionist senators dubbed “The Force” from the majority bloc, are being considered to fill the 12-member slate of the party chaired by President Duterte.

Party leaders, he added, would hold meetings, commission surveys and take other steps to find ways to trim the list down. 

“That’s why we have a pleasant problem. It’s better that we have an oversupply (of possible senatorial candidates),” Pimentel told dzRH.

He reiterated the reelectionist senators from the majority bloc – including Sens. Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara and Joseph Victor Ejercito – are seriously being considered for inclusion in the slate. They were instrumental in the passage of several reform bills pushed by the Duterte administration, he added. 

“I told the Speaker (Pantaleon Alvarez) that we must open our eyes, that they are supportive (of the administration’s legislative agenda). So, they deserve to be in the senatorial slate,” Pimentel said. 

The other names he and Alvarez floated were former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Reps. Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental, Karlo Nograles of Davao City, Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, Geraldine Roman of Bataan and Zajid Mangudadatu of Maguindanao; and Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa.

They also floated the President’s special assistant Bong Go, spokesman Harry Roque, communications assistant secretary Mocha Uson and adviser for political affairs Francis Tolentino. 

Pimentel stressed that the PDP-Laban, which was relatively obscure before, now has political clout with about 700,000 members all over the country.