Robin Padilla, Sara Duterte among PDP’s possible senatorial bets for 2019

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and actor Robin Padilla. INQUIRER and INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTOS

Actor Robin Padilla and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio were among the 24 possible senatorial bets being considered by the administration for 2019.

Padilla’s name appeared in a list of possible senatorial bets that Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III had submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte.

The list was contained in Pimentel’s letter to Duterte dated August 15. Duterte and Pimentel are party president an chairman, respectively.

Included in the list are party members led by Pimentel: Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go; Secretary Francis Tolentino; Reps. Karlo Nograles Zajid “Dong” Mangudadatu, Geraldine Roman, Monsour del Rosario, Alfredo Benitez, and Dakila Carlo Dax Cua; singer Freddie Aguilar; and Jiggy Manicad.

Pimentel said PDP can also recruit the following “friends of the party” such as the President’s daughter, Sara; former PNP chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa; Padilla; former Senator Lito Lapid; Rafael Alunan; Ramon Tulfo; Presidential spokesman Harry Roque; and Rep. Pia Cayetano.

He also mentioned in the letter the five reelectionist senators belonging to the majority bloc, whom he described as “generally supportive” of the administration.

The five reelectionists are Senator Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay.

“I hope that the party leadership can sit down with you, as the party chairman, at the earliest possible time so we can talk about party matters and prepare for the the fast approaching May 2019 elections,” Pimentel said in the letter. /je