Zubiri accepts invite to join HNP slate, says 1Sambayan reaching out
MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday disclosed he has accepted the invitation of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) party for him to be part of their senatorial slate for the 2022 elections.
“[Yung] HNP, kinausap din ako ni Speaker Lord (Allan) Velasco and I’ve accepted also their invitation to be part of their slate. Lalo na’t taga-Mindanao ako,” Zubiri, who will run for re-election in 2022 as an independent candidate, said in an online interview with reporters.
(The HNP, Speaker Lord Velasco talked to me and I’ve accepted also their invitation to be part of their slate. Especially because I hail from Mindanao.)
HNP is the regional party formed by presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Zubiri, meanwhile, said opposition coalition 1Samabayan is also reaching out to him, but said he has yet to make a decision since he does not want to be “labeled with a color.”
“Nagpapadala po ng overture ang grupo ni Atty. [Howard] Calleja and of course ako I’m honored and of course very happy and elated that maraming gustong mag-adopt sa akin,” he said.
(The group of Atty. Calleja is sending an overture and of course I’m honored and of course very happy and elated that many groups want to adopt me.)
Calleja is a co-convenor of 1Sambayan, an election coalition seeking to have a unified opposition slate for the coming elections.
“Hindi pa (Not yet) at this point in time,” Zubiri said when asked if he had already made a decision to join 1Samabayan.
“Ayoko kasi ma-label at this point in time na administration, opposition kasi independent ako. Yung hindi ko gusto pong mangyari is I’ll be labeled kaagad with a color na hindi naman…independent naman ako, I can work with anybody,” he added.
(I don’t want to be labelled as an administration or opposition candidate because I’m an independent. What I don’t want to happen is to be labeled with a color…I’m independent, I can work with anybody.)
Zubiri said Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s Nationalist People’s Coalition and the ruling party PDP-Laban also want to adopt him as a senatorial candidate.
The majority leader is already part of the senatorial slate of the Sotto and Senator Panfilo Lacson’s tandem in 2022.
Lacson and Sotto were the first to confirm their bid for the 2022 elections as a presidential and vice presidential candidate, respectively.
