FILE PHOTO: Senator Manny Pacquiao. INQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the PDP-Laban faction led by Senator Manny Pacquiao do not support the vice presidential bid of President Rodrigo Duterte as he no longer embodies the party’s values, its executive director Ron Munsayac said Thursday.
“Base po talaga sa regular consultation namin, hindi na po talaga,” Munsayac said in a media forum when asked point-blank if they support Duterte’s vice presidential bid.
(Based on our regular consultations, no.)
“Kasi nga po ang lumalabas na sentimyento ay he does not represent anymore the values and principles of the PDP-Laban,” he added.
(The sentiment coming out is that he does not represent the values and principles of the PDP-Laban.)
While the matter can still be taken up during their national assembly on September 19, Munsayac stressed that overall sentiments of “almost 99.9 percent” of their senior and grassroot members reject Duterte’s vice-presidential run next year.
Asked if they are open to a compromise if the Cusi-faction only fields the vice presidential candidate and let them choose the presidential candidate, Munsayac still disagreed.
“Hindi po talaga kasi sa pananaw po talaga ng sinasabi ko lagi na all of our grassroots members, itong party na minahal namin for 40 years, pinagtrabahuhan talaga ng dugo’t pawis. So hindi pa rin magkukumpormiso,” he said.
(No because as I always say, in the perspective of our grassroots members, this is a party we loved and worked for 40 years. So we won’t compromise.)
“Kung meron man kaming mapipili at kung meron kaming gustong inominate na presidential candidate, dapat po talaga magkasundo ang presidential at vice presidential candidate,” he went on.
(If we choose or nominate a presidential candidate, both the presidential and vice presidential candidate should be able to work together.)
The PDP-Laban Cusi wing officially nominated Senator Christopher “Bong” Go as its presidential candidate and Duterte as its vice presidential candidate in the 2022 elections. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1485329/pdp-laban-cusi-wing-proclaims-go-duterte-as-standard-bearers-in-2022-polls/
While Duterte accepted the nomination, Go reiterated he remains uninterested in running for president. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1485343/its-definite-duterte-to-run-for-vp-post
Meanwhile, Pacquiao has said he would either run for president, run for Senate reelection, or retire from politics.