NPC to vet Duterte; Poe confident of party support

The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) plans to meet this month with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the last presidential candidate it would vet before deciding on who to support in the May elections, NPC spokesperson Mark Enverga said.

But Sen. Grace Poe, who has received the support of several NPC members, remains hopeful the party—the second biggest in the country—would choose to back her and her running mate Sen. Francis Escudero.

Enverga said the NPC would listen to Duterte’s platform and programs of governance during the meeting later this month.

“Only after this can the party finalize the selection process,” Enverga said.

Duterte, the standard bearer of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, was a latecomer to the race for the presidency, having only decided to throw his hat into the ring as a substitute candidate late last year.

He is also facing a disqualification case due to a defect in the certificate of candidacy of Martin Diño, the former PDP-Laban standard-bearer.

Poe remains one of the candidates being considered for endorsement by the NPC despite the decision of the Commission on Elections to disqualify her from the race, said Enverga.

He indicated that the party was undaunted by her disqualification, which was temporarily stopped by the Supreme Court.

The NPC believes Poe is a natural born Filipino and has fully complied with the 10-year residency requirement, he said, taking a position contrary to the Comelec ruling.

Poe said Wednesday that she understands the NPC’s process and would respect whatever decision it would come up with. But she would want to get its support for her and Escudero.

“The NPC is undergoing its consultation process with all the ‘presidentiables’ as I believe they should in order for them to arrive at a decision that best serves the interest of our country and people,” she said in a text message.

“I will always respect whatever decision they will arrive at in the end but Sen. Chiz and I are hopeful that, in the end, they will decide to support our respective candidacies,” she added.

The Poe-Escudero team also has NPC members in its senatorial slate— Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian and Sen. Vicente Sotto III.