Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (File photo by NIÑO JESUS ORBETA / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) would stop accepting new members by the end of November 2017, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Monday.
Pimentel, who is also the party president, said this would allow the organization to have sufficient time to screen, vet, and choose the official candidates for the May 2019 elections.
In a statement, Pimentel said that he is wary of “latecomers” who would show up at the last minute to claim the privileges of the party membership but would not contribute anything to PDP-Laban’s development.
“PDP Laban is a party for those who believe in its principles, whether it is in power or not. We are not a party of political convenience. By stopping recruitment, we will have time to indoctrinate and train our members, screen possible candidates, and absorb our new members into our grassroots infrastructure,” he said.
The Senate leader stressed that it the duty of every member of PDP-Laban to pursue the change they promised under President Rodrigo Duterte, referring to the nation’s shift into a federal government.
In the previous week, Governor Abdusakur Tan of Sulu, Governor Zaldy Villa of Siquijor, and Vice Governor Peter Alfaro of Occidental Mindoro led new PDP-Laban members in taking their oaths of membership before Pimentel.
Local government officials from provinces, including those that were formerly dominated by the Liberal Party, also took oath under PDP-Laban. New members who recently joined the party came from Pangasinan, Leyte, Cavite, Laguna, Iloilo Province and City, Negros Occidental, Compostela Valley, Catanduanes, and Masbate. /kga