MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate and Manila mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Saturday said he is seeking the endorsement of the PDP-Laban faction aligned with President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Hopefully, kung sana, wala namang presidente ang PDP-Laban, baka pwedeng ako na lang,” Moreno said in a press conference after the event in Intramuros, Manila where Duterte supporters pledged their support.
Domagoso said that he “need all kinds of help” because he “comes from the outside, not from the established group of individuals.”
Officers and members of the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Coordinating Committee led by former Agrarian Reform chief John Castriciones have formally given their manifesto of support to Moreno.
READ: Duterte supporters now backing Isko Moreno candidacy
Castriciones, who is a senatorial candidate under PDP-Laban, also hopes that Duterte would formally endorse the Manila mayor.
“Well, you know, President Duterte might not expressly state that he is supporting a candidate, but as you can see in his body movements and also in his pronouncements, you can actually deduce as to who he is going to support,” Castriciones said.
“I hope that the president would really endorse Isko Moreno,” he added.
However, PDP-Laban president Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Saturday declined to comment on the matter.
“No comment lang muna po [for now],” Cusi told INQUIRER.net in a text message when asked to react to Domagoso’s remarks.
PDP-Laban initially fielded Sen. Ronald dela Rosa as its presidential bet and Sen. Christopher Go as its candidate for vice president. Both have since withdrawn their candidacy, leaving the ruling party without standard bearers.
READ: Cusi-led PDP-Laban wing adopts Sara Duterte as VP candidate
The party has only backed Davao mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio’s vice presidential candidacy, and not her running mate Bongbong Marcos.
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