President Duterte welcomes new members of the administration party PDP-Laban in Camarines Sur province. Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte (second from right) and local leaders say they will support the party’s campaign for federalism. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO
PILI, Camarines Sur—President Duterte lost to Liberal Party (LP) candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II in the 2016 elections in Camarines Sur province but the President has gained the majority support of elected officials here.
Camarines Sur Rep. Salvio Fortuno, an LP member, said more than 6,000 elected officials took their oath before the President as members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Tuesday.
“The President is now supported by the majority of elected officials in Camarines Sur, especially that 26 mayors of the 37 towns and cities in the province are now members of PDP-Laban,” he said.
According to Fortuno, he remains a member of LP but he supports Mr. Duterte because he is allied with the supermajority in the House of Representatives.
Gov. Miguel Luis “Migz” Villafuerte, a former member of the Nacionalista Party (NP), led the new members of the administration party. Among them were 26 mayors, 20 vice mayors, 190 municipal councilors, 700 village chiefs and 5,000 village council members. They used to be affiliated with NP.
Villafuerte said their decision to join PDP-Laban showed their full support for the Duterte administration, noting the President helped the province regardless of the political affiliations of its leaders.
“We have been united in the Nacionalista Party but President Duterte showed his love to Camarines Sur. In just a year in office, the administration had already released P400 million for right-of-way [acquisition] for the construction of a new airport,” he said.
Villafuerte said he had been following up the release of funds during the previous administration but nothing happened.
He said Mr. Duterte visited the province two days after Typhoon “Nina” hit the Bicol region in December last year.
Villafuerte won the 2013 and 2016 elections as an NP member. His father, Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte, also won the 2016 congressional race under NP.
The older Villafuerte said he would remain the provincial chair of NP and establish coalition with PDP-Laban.
An orientation-seminar on federalism was held for new administration party members before they took their oath. —JUAN ESCANDOR JR.