Monsour: I did not leave UNA, I was kicked out

Replying to accusations from his former party mates that he was a turncoat, ex-taekwondo champ-actor-turned politician Monsour del Rosario said that he did not leave the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

Rather, he was kicked out of UNA in January 2018 by Makati Mayor Abby Binay “for helping enemies of the opposition party,” he told reporters in a recent briefing.

“I was booted out because of my principles. I was of the impression that after the election, as public servants, we should help the people, [whether] they be allies or enemies,” he said.

Under UNA, Del Rosario won twice when he ran for councilor and for a seat in the House of Representatives in 2016.

In May, he will be running for vice mayor under the ticket of former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, who is eyeing a political comeback.

Junjun is gunning for the post of his sister, Abby, who is seeking reelection.

Party mates to rivals

Del Rosario, on the other hand, will be facing off against incumbent Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, who is also running for another term.

“When Junjun was mayor and I was a councilor, we never had a problem,” he said, adding that the two siblings were “polar opposites.”

He added: “I can’t leave Makati, not now that it is facing many problems [at] the local level.”

“Maybe it is also a chance for me to clear my name, after being called a traitor, a turncoat and negligent,” Del Rosario said.

He also belied the allegations of Abby and Lagdameo that he failed to serve his constituents as the representative of Makati’s first district.

“Transferring to another political party will not make up for his failure to serve the people,” Lagdameo said in a statement in February, days after Del Rosario took his oath as a PDP-Laban member.

She went on to say that she and her fellow officials under UNA-Makati never mistreated Del Rosario in any way, despite his poor performance.

Del Rosario, for his part, said that it was up to the people of Makati to judge whether or not he did his job.