The new political party that President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter has formed is willing to adopt the senators that have been bumped off by the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) in their senatorial slate, Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said Thursday.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio

In a press briefing at the Senate, Ejercito said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has expressed willingness to accommodate the senators who were not included in the PDP-Laban’s slate by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

The senator said all they are now waiting for is for the Hugpong ng Pagbabago to be accredited as a national party.

“Mayor Inday Sara’s party has decided to adopt us. So we are hoping it can be a national party later on,” Ejercito said at a press briefing at the Senate.

Ejercito said the President’s daughter might decide to adopt him, and re-electionist senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Sonny Angara, and Cynthia Villar who are part of the Senate majority bloc.

He also said Sen. Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV might also get the support of the Davao city mayor despite being part of the opposition.

“Us six reelectionist have no formal talks but we have a very good relationship with each other. So chances are we will stay close together whether or not we get the PDP-Laban’s support as a coalition. If not, we will still continue to stick together,” he said.

Ejercito said Duterte-Carpio “understood their predicament” when they said they  are disappointed when they felt they are being left out by the PDP-Laban. Despite this, he said PDP-Laban President, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III seems disinterested to fight for his colleagues’ inclusion.

“We’re hoping that he should fight for his main constituents and that is the senators. We have been very supportive of the administration but there are times, there are issues, where we have shown our independence, but we were supportive of the measures the administration needed,” he pointed out.

That is why, he said, they expected the same amount of support from the President’s party.

“That’s why we are dismayed why we are being boxed out. If Speaker (Alvarez) has a slate, our SP (Senate president) should also have one. When it comes to performance we have shown that we have performed. I hope he fights for the six reelectionist senators to be part of the slate,” he stressed.

Pimentel had earlier disclosed that as a prerequisite, only those who are supportive of the President and his thrust for federalism would be part of the PDP-Laban.

But Ejercito said that while they are open to federalism, they maintain their belief any proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for the shift to a federal form of government warrants intensive study.

“Based on what we heard, if you’re not part of PDP and you don’t support federalism you’re out. They were very specific. It was tailor-made, so what about us?” he pointed out.

“We are open to federalism but you have to give us time to study this because changing the fundamental law of the land requires due diligence and study and you cannot rush it. You have to give us time to study it. This is going to chart  our direction for the next 10, 15, 20 years. we have to make sure that if we passed federalism it should have undergone serious study,” he explained.