CEBU CITY – With the start of campaign period just a few days away, the camp of former Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, who is running for governor in Cebu province, is not in a rush to name their presidential bet in the May elections.
Durano said the Partido Pilipino sa Pagbabago (PPP) has not set a timeline as to when it will announce the presidential candidate it will endorse.
"The PPP was created for Inday (Sara Duterte-Carpio) running for president but when she decided to run for vice president, it really created a vaccum," Durano said.
Durano is the regional head of PPP in Region 7.
He is also the vice president of Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (BARUG), which already endorsed the tandem of former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio.
BAKUD is headed by Ace's father, Danao City Mayor Ramon "Nito" Durano, who is the party's chairman emeritus. Ace's brother, former Cebu Fifth District Rep. Red Durano, is the party's president.
Ace's running mate, incumbent Cebu Vice Governor Junjun Davide, has already announced that he is backing the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.
"When I filed my certificate of candidacy, I made it clear that I will be supporting the vice president," Davide said.
Ace pointed out it will not be an issue if he and Davide end up supporting different presidential candidates.
Ace and Davide led the opening of their campaign headquarters in Mandaue City on Tuesday, Feb. 1.
"This headquarter symbolizes the reason why I am running. You can see at the entrance the hashtag "A better Cebu." It is a reminder of our intention," Ace said.
Ace said he is pushing for the Cebu Priority Development Agenda (CPDA) that was crafted upon consultation with at least 230 organizations.
"The goal of CPDA is to really help Cebu rise especially when it comes to healthcare services," Ace said.
Ace's family and supporters graced the opening of the campaign headquarters.
Satellite offices will also be opened in the coming days.
"Seeing you all here, I am more confident, more than ever, that we can do this," Ace said.
Ace is running against incumbent Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, whose One Cebu party recently held its convention.
Ace said they will hold their own activity in March "but it is not just a proclamation rally but it is going to be multi-sectoral."