Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Wednesday said the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) wing which he leads will remain the dominant party despite President Duterte’s decision to withdraw from the senatorial race and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go’s move to drop his presidential bid in the May 2022 elections.
“PDP-Laban will remain a dominant party because of the success of President Rodrigo Duterte, who will be remembered as the most revered and well-loved leader of the masses,” Cusi said in a statement.
Cusi also said they acknowledge the withdrawal of the respective candidacies of our party leaders...PDP-Laban “is proud of the accomplishemnts of President Duterte amidst global disasters and the accompanying economic decline.”
“Slowly but surely, the country has transitioned to recovery while countries in Europe and Africa continue to deal with COVID-19 surges,” he said.
At the same time, Cusi appealed to their party-mates in PDP-Laban to stand united in support of the remaining months of the president.
“We assure the public that PDP-Laban will continue to espuse the policies and programs that made the Duterte legacy possible,” the party stalwart said.
On Tuesday, Duterte and Go went separately to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to withdraw their candidacies, for president and senator.
Despite both being members of the PDP-Laban, they entered as substitute candidates on Nov. 13 and Nov.15 under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS).
The other PDP-Laban wing is fielding Sen. Manny Pacquiao as its presidential candidate in the upcoming May 2022 polls.
Pacquiao, in a statement, said he respects the decision of his colleague and the president as well.