Senator JV Ejercito is hoping that he, along with other incumbent majority senators, would be given priority in the senatorial line up of the country’s ruling political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), should he decide to run for the next national elections.
“We are hoping that the re-electionist senators will be given priority for midterm election especially if there will be coalition hopefully by next year,” Ejercito said when asked if he wants to be part of the senatorial slate of President Rodrigo Duterte’s political party during a press briefing on Thursday.
“We have showed our cooperation with the administration, their success is also our success, but we also showed our independence,” he added.
The senator also said he has yet to swear in as a member of the PDP-Laban because he is prioritizing his work in the Senate.
At the same time, Ejercito hopes that he and his brother, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, would not run at the same time.
“Nothing is final until mag-file ka ng COC (certificate of candidacy). There are still a lot of factors to be considered,” he said.
Prodded if among of the factors he is considering include his brother, he answered: “Yun na nga po tinutumbok ko.”
“It would not look good for two family members to run at the same time. One has to give way. Preferably isa lang tumakbo sa Senate, I still adhere to that thinking,” he said.
“The biggest factor pa rin is our father. But through the years he has never meddled in our decisions. Lalo sa akin, hinahayaan nya kami because he knows that we can do it on our own. ‘Di ako papayag na two members (in the family) ang tatakbo, kung sakali I will do the supreme sacrifice,” he added. /kga