No Duterte? No problem, says PDP-Laban’s Koko Pimentel

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Laban will have no hard feelings if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte decides not to run for President next year, according to Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

In case the PDP-Laban, which is already preparing for a Duterte campaign, will have no standard-bearer next year, it will support an acceptable candidate from outside the party, Pimentel, the party president, said.

Groundwork for campaign

Although his poll ratings are improving, Duterte says he has no plans to run for President.

But Pimentel said in a telephone interview on Friday that even without a formal announcement from Duterte, the PDP-Laban would start laying down the groundwork for a campaign and would instruct members to start moving.

The party believes Duterte will join the race, Pimentel said, adding that the party hears the message of Duterte’s actions, more than his words.

Another candidate

But if Duterte declares that he is not running, the PDP-Laban will accept his decision and support another candidate, Pimentel said.

“There will be no hard feelings because [the preparations] are our unilateral action,” he said.

Pimentel said the PDP-Laban could help Duterte by organizing supporters in various areas and recruiting new members. It is through this organization that instructions on how to help the candidate would be given, he said.

Pimentel said he himself felt he owed it to Duterte to lay down the structure for the mayor’s campaign, as Duterte greatly helped him during his own campaign.

If the PDP-Laban members refuse to support another candidate, the party will just participate in the electoral process by facilitating discussions on issues of national importance, an important task for political parties, Pimentel said.

RELATED VIDEO