Baste Duterte rallies Davaoeño voters behind JV Ejercito

Davao City Mayoral candidate and incumbent Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte backs the bid of former Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito for a comeback in the Senate during a local campaign rally in the city’s first district.

Davao City mayoral candidate and incumbent Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte on Friday backed Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito’s bid to return to the Senate.

During his campaign rally for the mayoralty in Davao City’s first district, Duterte asked his supporters to vote for Ejercito.

“We have a visitor. This is JV Ejercito. Some time ago, we were together in HNP. We were really working together,” he said in Bisaya.

For voters who are still undecided on who to choose for senator, Duterte said, “si JV Ejercito ang piliin niyo.”

Ejercito was part of the 2019 senatorial slate supported by the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), a regional political party organized by presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

The family patriarch President Rodrigo Duterte previously endorsed Ejercito’s Senate comeback in a video message released in February 2022.

“JV Ejercito has always been a friend and a partner of this administration in pushing for advocacies that advance our development agenda, especially for the poor,” the elder Duterte said.

In a statement, Ejercito thanked Vice Mayor Duterte for his support, saying that it would greatly help his campaign for a Senate comeback.

“Daghang salamat, Vice Mayor Baste Duterte, for your show of support. Nakakataba po ng puso, malaking tulong po ito para sa ating kampanya na ibalik ang good sa Senado,” he said.

READ: JV Ejercito wants Senate comeback to complete ‘unfinished business’