Duterte wants to unify PDP-Laban amid ‘infighting’ — Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte wants to unify the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) amid the reported infighting between party officials, Malacañang said on Thursday.

This was the reason he called for a party meeting on Thursday afternoon at the Diamond Hotel in Manila, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.

READ: Amid infighting: Duterte, PDP-Laban execs to meet on August 9 – Pimentel

“Well, of course, he wants to unify the party, and he will clarify that he remains chairman of the party, and he will be there,” Roque said in a palace briefing.

Roque said Duterte would speak to the “entire” PDP-Laban but refused to comment if there were indeed factions in the ruling party.

“As far as the President is concerned, he is chair of PDP-Laban, and there is only one PDP Laban,” Roque said.

In July, a faction of the PDP-Laban that claimed to be the genuine representatives of the party held an assembly, electing new party leaders, ousting Pimentel as party president and former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as secretary-general.

Despite these developments, Roque said, “Well, I do not know if there are factions, really. He will speak to the entire PDP-Laban political party. Because I do not know if in his mind there are factions. He will speak with PDP-Laban.”

The Palace official refused to comment further, saying the PDP-Laban has their own spokesperson.

“I have raised my apprehension here, they have their own spokesperson kasi. So I would defer to the official spokesperson of PDP Laban,” Roque said.

“I will go with the President but as far as what will actually happen, I feel that I’m not in a position to speak because PDP Laban matters are strictly speaking outside the affairs of Malacañang and the functions of the President. And they have their own spokesperson, that’s my concern,” he added.   /vvp