Rep. Castro rejoins Lakas-CMD after resigning from NUP

Photo from Romualdez’s office

MANILA, Philippines — Former Majority Leader and Capiz 2nd District Rep. Fredenil Castro has rejoined Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas CMD) after resigning as president and member of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Lakas-CMD president and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez administered the party members’ oath to Castro and Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles Wednesday night. 

The party now has 11 members in the House (Reps. Romualdez, Castro, Nograles, Prospero Pichay, Mikey Arroyo, Aleta Suarez, Yasser Balindong, Paz Radaza, Marilou Arroyo, Christian Unabia, and Toff de Venecia). 

In an interview Thursday, Castro said he just went home to his original political party– a trend that is now happening in the House.

“They were borrowed from other members…so that PDP-Laban could be the President’s party. The trend is that ‘yung mga hiniram na other members of the political party ay babalik sa mother parties,” he said.

Castro earlier said he left NUP out of “delicadeza” because he supported Romualdez’s House speakership bid while NUP backed now-Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

READ: Capiz Rep. Castro says he resigned as NUP president out of delicadeza

Earlier, some 14 Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) congressmen jumped ship to the NUP, according to a list given by NUP Secretary-General for political affairs Brian Yamsuan. /je

READ: PDP-Laban presses members to confirm affiliation as some solons join NUP