By Ben Rosario The ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and other political parties in the House of Representatives have been advised to go on “red alert” as alleged party raids threatened to deplete their membership in favor of the National Unity Party. PDP Laban logo (Photo from Facebook) A senior PDP-Laban congressman issued the warning after nine PDP-Laban congressmen, led by Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, reportedly decided to join NUP, now headed by former Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who used to represent the lone district of Antipolo City. Described as a cunning political operator,  Puno has reportedly taken a dual role in the NUP as acting president and incumbent chairman. Former party president and Capiz  Rep. Fredenil Castro has resigned following the election of Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano as speaker. “I was NUP president but I was frontliner in pursuing the speakership bid of Majority Leader Martin Romualdez.  Out of delicadeza, I have to resign as president and as NUP member because the party backed the speaker,” said Castro, majority leader of the 17th Congress. With Puno at NUP’s helm, Rep. Duterte was swiftly convinced to join the group and five partylist solons who are now in coalition with the party. PDP-Laban stalwart and Mindoro Oriental Rep. Doy Leachon said nine congressmen, not 30 as reported by another media entity, have bolted the majority party to join the NUP. “We got our updated status.  We remain to be the largest bloc in Congress,” said Leachon, recently elected head of the House contingent in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal. Leachon said the political events unfolding in the Lower House “is normal” if one is to consider that the 2022 president election is fast approaching. “It’s always normal and perfectly understandable that a House member tends to seek a better place and arrangement for himself that is why they are looking for party that could greatly afford his or her needs,” the senior administration lawmaker explained. However, another senior PDP-Laban congressman warned that party raids will continue with the NUP being pointed to as the culprilt. “Like PDP-Laban, other political parties, the Nacionalista Party included, should be on aware that party poachers are back,” the solon, who requested anonymity, warned. NP is the party affiliation of Cayetano, who received strong backing from the NUP, a political that reportedly enjoys the backing of multi-billionaire Ricky Razon. The NUP used to be known as the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) that former president and speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo organized in 1997 supposedly as her campaign vehicle for the presidential elections. Following Kampi’s dissolution at the height of Arroyo’s unpopularity, Puno re-organized the party, and re-named it NUP allegedly to dissociate its members from the former president and wriggle into the then Aquino administration-backed coalition in the Lower House.