Duterte calls on PDP-Laban party to keep integrity
Published Sep 1, 2018 04:37 pm
By Genalyn Kabiling
President Duterte has called on the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party to keep its integrity as the group started preparations for the 2019 elections.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President attended the closed-door PDP-Laban leadership assembly in Pasay City on Friday when the initial list of potential senatorial candidates was reportedly released. Duterte is chairman of the administration party. "The Chief Executive lauded PDP-Laban for being a 'principled party,' and encouraged its members to maintain the party’s integrity," a Palace press statement read. "He then reassured the PDP-Laban members of his full support as 'we move forward in realizing our dream of building a stronger and more prosperous nation,'" it added. Duterte also vowed to bring "real and lasting change" and counted on his PDP-Laban party mates to support his administration's reforms. “I trust that every member of PDP-Laban will be with me as we bring about real and lasting change for the sake of our people and our democratic institutions, and for our children, and their children to come,” he said. Last month, Duterte admitted that the PDP-Laban party, which backed his presidential bid in 2016, did not grow strong due to lack of funds for election campaign but remained a principled organization. He also said he could only offer to campaign for allies running in next year’s elections and nothing more. "It never grew ang PDP. It even outlived the --- ‘yung mga talent nila. Why? Because of money. It’s a principled party, I know. And I use it as a --- my platform to run for the presidency,” he said during the Hugpong ng Pagbabago convention last month. "Pero kung sabihin mo pera, partido. So my advice is if you’re comfortable with your mother unit, you might want to continue and coalesce with PDP-Laban,” he said. Also last month, the President urged the PDP-Laban party to stay united amid reports of squabbling between two factions. He previously met with the warring groups and urged them to settle their differences. “As we go for reforms in this administration, our unity is now more important than ever. I therefore ask the continued support of PDP-Laban and its partners in creating practical solutions to address root cause of our nation’s problems,” he said.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte(SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The President attended the closed-door PDP-Laban leadership assembly in Pasay City on Friday when the initial list of potential senatorial candidates was reportedly released. Duterte is chairman of the administration party. "The Chief Executive lauded PDP-Laban for being a 'principled party,' and encouraged its members to maintain the party’s integrity," a Palace press statement read. "He then reassured the PDP-Laban members of his full support as 'we move forward in realizing our dream of building a stronger and more prosperous nation,'" it added. Duterte also vowed to bring "real and lasting change" and counted on his PDP-Laban party mates to support his administration's reforms. “I trust that every member of PDP-Laban will be with me as we bring about real and lasting change for the sake of our people and our democratic institutions, and for our children, and their children to come,” he said. Last month, Duterte admitted that the PDP-Laban party, which backed his presidential bid in 2016, did not grow strong due to lack of funds for election campaign but remained a principled organization. He also said he could only offer to campaign for allies running in next year’s elections and nothing more. "It never grew ang PDP. It even outlived the --- ‘yung mga talent nila. Why? Because of money. It’s a principled party, I know. And I use it as a --- my platform to run for the presidency,” he said during the Hugpong ng Pagbabago convention last month. "Pero kung sabihin mo pera, partido. So my advice is if you’re comfortable with your mother unit, you might want to continue and coalesce with PDP-Laban,” he said. Also last month, the President urged the PDP-Laban party to stay united amid reports of squabbling between two factions. He previously met with the warring groups and urged them to settle their differences. “As we go for reforms in this administration, our unity is now more important than ever. I therefore ask the continued support of PDP-Laban and its partners in creating practical solutions to address root cause of our nation’s problems,” he said.