Sara not running for president? Pacquiao’s PDP-Laban wing sees a ‘smokescreen’

FILE President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio

MANILA, Philippines — The PDP-Laban faction led by Senator Manny Pacquiao is not convinced that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is abandoning her bid for the presidency, maintaining that the tandem of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2022 national elections is just a “smokescreen.”

So said its executive director Ron Munsayac when asked to comment about Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s statement that she will no longer run for president after her father accepted the nomination as the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP-Laban wing led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

“Hindi naman po sa pangungunahan ko yung mga boss natin sa PDP Laban tulad nila Senator Pacquiao at Senator Pimentel at iba pa but base po sa mga halos araw araw na konsultasyon sa mga grassroots members namin sa baba, sa ilalim, ang paningin nila ay isang smokescreen pa rin lamang ito e,” Munsayac said Thursday in a media interview.

(Not to preempt our bosses in the PDP-Laban like Senator Pacquiao and Senator Pimentel and others, but based on our everyday consultation with grassroots members, they still think this is a smokescreen.)

“Kasi po we have to remember na ang last day of filing is on October 8 tapos may November 15 substitution pa po tayo. So siguro pwede lang natin masabi na hindi ito smokescreen on November 16. Pero po sa ngayon, ang masasabi po ng mga kapartido sa baba, mga kaalyado, ‘Napanood na namin yan sir. Script lang yan,’” he added.

(We have to remember that the last day of filing is on October 18 and there’s the substitution deadline of November 15. We can say it’s not a smokescreen on November 16. But right now, what our party mates at the ground say is that we have seen that, that’s just a script.)

Duterte-Carpio said she will no longer run for president, saying she and her father have agreed that only one Duterte can run for the national post in the 2022 elections.

“It’s still part of the zarzuela, it’s still a smokescreen for another candidate outside of the PDP-Laban. I think what happened yesterday has confirmed yung matagal na po naming sinasabi na yung lahat ng efforts na ginagawa ng iilang political appointees ay hindi talaga para sa PDP-Laban,” Munsayac said.

(It’s still part of the zarzuela, it’s still a smokescreen for another candidate outside of the PDP-Laban. I think what happened yesterday confirmed what we have long said that the efforts of some political appointees are not for PDP-Laban.)

On Wednesday, the Cusi faction of the PDP-Laban officially nominated Go as their presidential candidate and the President as their vice-presidential candidate.  Duterte accepted the nomination, but Go maintained he is not interested in running for president.

In 2015, Duterte repeatedly said he does not intend to run for president in the 2016 polls. But he eventually substituted for Martin Diño as PDP-Laban’s standard-bearer.

/MUF