Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda has come full circle with his return into the fold of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) on Thursday, July 14.
Salceda, a former three-term governor of Albay, was with Lakas-CMD from 1998 to 2004.
He transferred to the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI) in 2004, and would stay there for the next five years. KAMPI used to be the main party of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA).
In May 2009, Kampi merged into the Lakas-CMD.
The following year, in the aftermath of the victory of then-Senator Benigno S. Aquino III in the 2010 presidential race, Salceda joined Aquino's Liberal Party (LP).
By 2016, the political landscape in the country was turned on its head with Rodrigo Duterte's assumption of the Palace seat. Duterte was carried by the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), which the economist-solon also defected to.
"I thanked PDP-Laban for the support in the past six years," the Bicolano said in a statement Thursday after being sworn in as a Lakas-CMD member.
"I took my oath as Lakas member in Aguado Residence in Malacañang before incoming Speaker in the presence of Cong Marcos," Salceda said.
"I rejoined my party from 2001 to 2010 having been a presidential economic adviser and chief of staff of PGMA, long-time friend and adviser of VP Sara (Lakas chairman) and of course as chief campaigner of the 2019 speakership bid of incoming Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has recruited to play a key economic role in the House of Representatives," he said of his transfer to Lakas-CMD.
Romualdez is the president of Lakas-CMD, while Arroyo is its president-emeritus .