Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s newly-created party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) or Alliance for Change, has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to formally recognize them as a regional political party.
Sara, together with party members and lawyers, attended a hearing set by the Comelec First Division on Tuesday, June 5, to discuss their petition for registration as a regional political party in the Davao region.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte now leaving @COMELEC HQ in Intramuros, Manila after a hearing on the petition for registration of her new regional political party “Hugpong ng Pagbabago” @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/421sxhyCwM
— Julius N. Leonen (@JLeonenINQ) June 5, 2018
During the closed-door hearing, Comelec commissioners Al Parreño and Rowena Guanzon screened HnP’s application and ordered the party to submit a memorandum in five days.
Asked if she was confident of a favorable decision from the Comelec, Sara said: “I can’t speak for the commissioners, but we pray that they will give us a favorable decision on the petition.”
The political party, Sara said, was established “for security and development in Davao City and to pursue the ideals of what we all want—a strong region, a secure life for our constituents, good governance and effective leadership.”
READ: Sara launches own party
Why not PDP-Laban?
When asked why they were not joining PDP-Laban, which her father President Rodrigo Duterte chairs, Sara said it is because his party was not a regional party.
“PDP Laban is a national political party,” the Davao City mayor told reporters.
“We need a regional political party because a lot of members of HnP have different national political party affiliations,” she said.
Opposition?
The regional party was launched in Davao City late February. The party was reportedly the cause of a rift between the Davao City mayor and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
According to Sara, the House Speaker reportedly described her as an opposition figure and her new party as a product of political dynasties.
READ: Sara to Bebot: How dare you?
“How dare you call me part of the opposition?” Sara said in an online post. “You’re thick-faced. You messed with the wrong girl,” the mayor added.
But Alvarez denied making such statements about the Davao City mayor and her party. /je