Palace: Duterte may physically attend PDP-Laban meet amid COVID threat

ADMINISTRATION PARTY LEADERS President Rodrigo Duterte, his former aide, Sen. Bong Go, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi grace a summit of tricycle operators and drivers in Pasay City in this photo taken in 2019. Go has declined the nomination by a faction of the administration party PDP-Laban, led by Mr. Duterte and Cusi, to run for president in 2022. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte may physically attend the PDP-Laban’s national convention set on Wednesday in Pampanga despite the alarming rise of COVID-19 infections in the country, Malacañang said Tuesday.

“There’s a possibility that the President will make a personal appearance pero may back up din po na na virtual appearance,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.

(There’s a possibility that the President will make a personal appearance but there’s a backup plan for him to appear only virtually.)

The PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is set to hold a national convention where members are expected to nominate and vote their candidates for the 2022 elections.

About 400 party members are expected to attend the event.

The Cusi wing has endorsed the tandem of Senator Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte as its standard-bearers in the 2022 elections, which the President has accepted but Go has rejected.

In recent weeks, the Philippines has been seeing a steep rise of COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, recording a single-day increase of 22,415 new infections on Monday.

JPV