Hugpong-PDP-Laban alliance? Sara wants party strife fixed first

Updated 3:30 p.m.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s “Hugpong ng Pagbabago” will only forge an alliance with the ruling PDP-Laban on one condition: fix its internal problems first.

On Monday, the mayor made it clear that her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, has no role in Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

“Wala. The President is the president of PDP-Laban,” Sara told reporters in an interview in Paranaque City after her group signed an alliance with various political groups.

President Duterte is chairman of PDP-Laban while the party’s president is Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

“We would like to have an alliance with PDP but sabi kasi noong governors and officers namin during our discussion namin is that ayusin muna nila yung internal problem nila kasi meron silang internal problem sa PDP-laban,” she said.

“So once maayos ng presidente nila yun then we really are open because we need other national parties na kaalyado,” the mayor added.

PDP-laban has been embroiled in various controversies such as the power grab in the House of Representatives that resulted in the ouster of then-Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Alvarez, secretary-general of PDP-Laban, was replaced by a party mate, former President, and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

After a power struggle in the House, a group that claimed to be “genuine party members” recently elected its new leaders.   /vvp/ac

READ: PDP-Laban’s ‘genuine party members’ elect new execs; Bong Go is auditor