Duterte belongs to both Hugpong, PDP-Laban, says Koko

President Rodrigo Duterte can have the best of both worlds.

He belongs to both the regional political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago and the national party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), according to Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Pimentel said the President remained the chair of the PDP-Laban, which carried his campaign for the presidency.

But the President could also be a member of a regional political party as this is allowed under PDP-Laban’s rules, Pimentel said when sought for comment on the assertion of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque that Hugpong had always been the President’s political party.

“The President has a local party, too. For all the time that he was Davao City mayor, he had one which still exists up to today. There is no inconsistency with PDP membership and local party membership. That is allowed in the PDP,” the senator said in a text message. —Leila B. Salaverria