Discord rocks ruling PDP-Laban after ‘draft’ resolution surfaces

More than six months before the filing of candidacies for the 2022 elections, discord erupted within the ranks of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) over a supposed “petition” urging President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president, presumably with Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, that was released to journalists on Thursday.

A copy of the resolution showed it was unnumbered and had about 20 signatures in its margins, but did not specify to whom the signatures belonged.

While the resolution did urge the President to run as vice president in 2022, it did not mention his running mate.

But Mr. Duterte himself shed some light on the matter.

“While we were disembarking from the plane, Sen. Bong Go told me ‘Sir, I have a favor to ask.’ I asked what and he said: ‘It somehow leaves a bad taste in the mouth and it’s still far away, but I want you to tell them,’” the President said in his speech at the Dumaguete port on Thursday.

“I will tell you the truth,” Mr. Duterte said. “He wants me to tell you that he wants to be president.”

After the event, Go released a statement saying: “The President was just joking. Please count me out from talks about politics in 2022” but he did say he would probably change his mind if Mr. Duterte decides to run for vice president.

But Sen. Manny Pacquiao, the acting president of PDP-Laban, castigated the party’s vice chair, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, for politicking despite urgent national concerns.

“That was not sanctioned. That was not authorized,” said Pacquiao, who is also believed to be considering a 2022 run for the highest post in the land.

“Do not poison the minds of a few members of our party,” Pacquiao scolded Cusi, who is associated with Go, for politicking amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst economic recession in decades.

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, executive vice chair of PDP-Laban, agreed that the timing was not right to discuss possible pairings for the 2022 elections.

But Rep. Eric Martinez argued it was just a “draft” and that Pimentel knew about it.

“Senator Koko was informed,” Martinez said, although Pimentel claimed he didn’t remember.

Cusi, on the other hand, insisted that the resolution, drafted during a March 8 meeting in Manila, was the fruit of a “consultative and participatory discussion.”

Cusi explained that the issue of who will be the party’s standard-bearer in the next election was raised during the meeting and the participants decided to instead draft a resolution urging Mr. Duterte to run as vice president in 2022.