Negros Occidental. INQUIRER FILES
BACOLOD CITY — The mayor of this capital city has announced that there would soon be a mass resignation from the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in Negros Occidental.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, said in an interview on May 3, that many PDP members in Negros have signified that they were not happy with the party.
“Soon there will be also a mass resignation from PDP in Negros,” he said.
PDP is chaired by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Benitez said many PDP elected government officials in Negros Occidental are members of the Love Negros–United Negros Alliance coalition that is supporting the reelection bid of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
READ: Duterte allies in Victorias City bolt PDP
Benitez, who ran for mayor under PDP Laban, said he was committed to supporting Lacson.
Jesus Villanueva Hinlo, PDP deputy secretary general for Visayas and Negros Occidental Council president, earlier said their party may support former Victorias mayor Francis Frederick “Wantan” Palanca for governor of Negros Occidental in 2025.
Palanca has not accepted the offer to run for governor yet.
Victorias City Vice Mayor Abelardo Bantug III and nine councilors, including Palanca’s son, irrevocably resigned from the PDP on April 23 after the announcement by Hinlo that PDP may field Palanca for governor in 2025.
They said the decision was made without consultation with them and the incumbent officials of Victorias City
“It appears that the leadership of PDP under Hinlo overlooked the basic principle that an organization should promote inclusivity through consultation before decision, not the other way around,” the Victorias’ officials said.