The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Friday said it is exploring the possibility of fielding a Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and President Duterte tandem in the May 2022 elections.
The Duterte-backed PDP-Laban Cusi wing said it is monitoring the “shifting political landscape” and will soon decide on their next move.
“We continue to monitor the developments in the national political landscape and we are exploring all options as the dominant majority party, including our original plan of fielding a Go-Duterte tandem,” the PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag said in a statement.
“In the meantime, we continue to consult PDP leaders in the provinces and cities, so our ultimate decision will be reflective of the sentiments on the ground,” they added.
The Cusi wing faction of the ruling political party has fielded Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go as their presidential and vice presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.
The group initially planned to field Go as the standard bearer and President Duterte as his running mate.
Later, Duterte announced his intention to retire from politics, prompting them to field Go as the vice presidential candidate and Dela Rosa as their presidential candidate.
The PDP-Laban issued the statement after presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio withdrew her mayoral bid and resigned from her regional political party, the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) and took her oath as member of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte-Carpio, a frontrunner in presidential surveys, however, has yet to announce whether or not she will run for a national position.