The PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi declines to speak on the possibility of PDP-Laban adopting Duterte-Carpio as an alternative candidate.
MANILA, Philippines — The PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is not yet considering Sara Duterte-Carpio as its alternate candidate for the 2022 presidential election.
Cusi said on Tuesday that his political group had not discussed the possibility of Duterte-Carpio, who belongs to Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), being its standard-bearer if Senator Bong Go rejects the party’s presidential nomination.
“The party has not discussed that. We have not discussed that. They have not reached out to us; we have no basis to even discuss it this time,” he said in an online media briefing.
Furthermore, he declined to speak on the possibility of PDP-Laban adopting Duterte-Carpio as an alternative candidate.
“I don’t like to answer that because there are a lot of things to be taken into consideration and it’s not only me that would make that decision,” Cusi said.
“Mahirap sagutin ‘yang tanong because that can be interpreted in so many ways. ‘Yung possibility of raining and the possibility of not raining, laging nanydan ‘yan,” he added.
(It’s difficult to answer that question because that can be interpreted in so many ways. The possibility of raining and the possibility of not raining is always there.)
The PDP-Laban wing has earlier endorsed the tandem of Senator Go and President Rodrigo Duterte as its standard-bearers in the 2022 elections.
President Duterte has accepted the endorsement while Go turned it down.
READ: PDP-Laban Pimentel wing eyes Pacquiao as presidential bet
However, Cusi said Go has not yet ultimately closed the door on being the party’s presidential bet when he said he should be last in the party’s pool of potential standard-bearers.
Go had previously said he was open to running for president if Duterte was his running mate.
READ: Go: Only Duterte as my VP will make me run for president in 2022
However, Duterte-Carpio earlier revealed that the senator has “personally’ offered to run as her vice president in the 2022 elections.
READ: Sara Duterte says Bong Go ‘personally’ offered to run as her VP
Go confirmed that he has expressed interest in being the Davao city mayor’s running mate, citing his “devotion” to the Duterte family.
“When I learned that there were some aspirants who wish to be Mayor Sara’s VP in case she runs for the presidency, I expressed my willingness to be considered in her list of choices, nagpalista lang din ako gaya ng iba (I just signed up like everybody else), knowing my devotion to the Dutertes,” Go had said.
READ: Bong Go says he’s willing to run as Sara’s VP out of ‘devotion to Dutertes’
The PDP-Laban Cusi faction is set to nominate and vote for their candidates for the 2022 elections in a national convention set on Wednesday in Pampanga.
READ: Braving COVID threat, Cusi-wing PDP-Laban members to physically attend convention