TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite — The endorsement from President Rodrigo Duterte’s PDP-Laban wing will consolidate the “forces of unity” to work against those who “would want to divide Filipinos”, presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
Marcos Jr. said he is “very grateful” for the endorsement from one of the factions in the ruling PDP-Laban.
READ: Cusi-led PDP-Laban wing endorses Bongbong Marcos for president
“Ang bagong development na ito (This fresh development), this will consolidate the forces of unity so that we can continue to work against those who would want to divide Filipinos against each other,” Marcos told reporters.
“And that is what we have been campaigning for and that is our message and that is our dream—that we bring the country together. This is an important step in that regard,” he added.
According to the PDP-Laban resolution approved on Monday, Marcos received the most endorsements from several local councils of PDP-Laban. It also noted that the decision was made after “careful and exhaustive deliberations.”
The resolution was approved by the PDP-Laban wing led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. President Duterte, meanwhile, serves as the wing’s chairman.
“Maraming salamat sa PDP at sa lahat ng kanilang myembro at I look forward to working with them at siguro naman hindi magiging ano yun dahil magkakaibigan naman talaga kaming lahat at parang naformalize lang ang aming relasyon,” Marcos said.
(Thank you PDP and all its members and I look forward to working with them. I don’t think it will be that difficult because we are already friends, we just formalized our relationship.)
Meanwhile, vice presidential candidate Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Duterte, said also welcomed the endorsement towards Marcos.
Duterte-Carpio is Marcos’ running mate.
Asked if the endorsement also means President Duterte is backing Marcos’ presidential bid, Duterte-Carpio said: “I cannot speak for the President, I do not know what he’s thinking right now.”
While President Duterte serves as the wing’s chairman, acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said Tuesday that the PDP-Laban’s endorsement of Marcos is a “collegial decision” of the party.
Andanar said it does not mean that it was the personal decision of President Duterte.
To recall, President Duterte once called Marcos a “weak leader.”
READ: Duterte takes jab at Bongbong Marcos anew, calls him ‘weak leader’