MANILA, Philippines — Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte), a former ally of the President Rodrigo Duterte, said that the chief executive is still his friend, shortly after endorsing the presidency of Vice President Leni Robredo who represents the opposition's bet.
"It's not that I'm not loyal [to Duterte] but if you say he's my friend, then yes," Alvarez told ANC Headstart in Filipino during an interview on Friday.
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"I consider him as my friend and in fact, we have common friends. When the time comes that he's not in Malacañang anymore and he'll come home to Davao City- I'm just in Tagum City, which is close by, so we can meet and talk," he added.
On Thursday, Alvarez, who serves as the Partido Reporma president, announced the party's support for Robredo's candidacy, after the resignation of the party's former bet Sen Panfilo "Ping" Lacson.
In a press conference, Alvarez explained that choosing Robredo is the "only realistic option" as she is among the candidates who stood out from the rest, despite lagging behind the surveys' frontrunners.
He added that Robredo is the ideal candidate who is aligned with Partido Reporma's thrusts of reforming the government and providing a better future for Filipinos.
In 2017, Alvarez—who was then a House Speaker and Duterte ally—said he was mulling over the possibility of filing impeachment against Robredo, claiming a video message she sent to a United Nations forum on illegal drugs "destroyed the reputation of the Philippines before the international community" and was a betrayal of public trust.
After endorsing Robredo's candidacy, he apologized to her for saying bad things about her in the past.
Last year, Alvarez said Partido Reporma is open to an alliance with opposition group 1Sambayan, which later endorsed Robredo's bid.
Alvarez's chief of staff wanted P800M from me — Lacson
Lacson earlier said he was quitting Partido Reporma after receiving word that they were endorsing another bet.
On Friday, Lacson questioned Alvarez's reason for endorsing Robredo.
"If pre-election surveys was [sic] his primary reason for switching his support, I don’t believe it because like me, Mayor Isko and Sen Pacquiao, his newly chosen candidate is also lagging far behind the survey leader," he told reporters over text.
"Time to call a spade a spade. It was actually more about the issue of campaign expenses for their local candidates. His chief of staff was asking for 800 million pesos in additional funding which I honestly told him I cannot produce," he added.
Lacson reiterated that he harbored no ill-will towards Alvarez, but said if the Partido Reporma president insists on his reason, he will be "prompted to respond to correct his statements."
Lacson said he is now running as an independent candidate in this year's elections.
After the longtime public servant resigned from the party, several Partido Reporma members followed suit, including the party's spokesperson Ashley Acedillo and the Chairman of the Cavite Chapter Rafael Rodriguez, among others, to support Lacson's candidacy.
READ: Several Partido Reporma members resign to support Lacson's presidential bid