Salceda says he didn't betray PDP-Laban by endorsing VP Leni; here's why
Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) member and Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda says he did not betray his party by endorsing Vice President Leni Robredo’s presidential candidacy.
“Hindi ako bumaliktad (I didn’t switch sides),” insisted Salceda in a virtual press conference on Thursday, Feb. 10.

Salceda backed Robredo’s presidential candidacy on Feb. 9, and then declared his support for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio's vice presidential bid on Feb. 10. Robredo belongs to the opposition, while Duterte-Carpio is the daughter of PDP-Laban chairman, President Duterte.
But Salceda said his endorsement of Robredo isn’t going against his party, the PDP-Laban, because it doesn't have a bet in the Palace race.
“Sara did not run and I was waiting for the administration to nominate and they haven’t nominated anyone when they were right in the middle of the campaign. I think it is only reasonable that if you choose the candidate you want to win, the only physical way is to immediately make your decision known to everyone,” Salceda argued.
Furthermore, the Bicol solon thinks that the upcoming elections won't give much weight to the so-called "opposition".
“There’s no opposition; there’s admin and there’s non-admin. I don’t position the current political context as being terms because if you look at their policies, many of them are just continuations of the Duterte strategy,” he explained.
According to him, both Robredo’s and Mayor Duterte-Carpio’s policies include continuations of the incumbent administration's current policies. These include fiscal reforms, the “Build, Build, Build" program, and the war on drugs.
“I always do pathways to victory for all of them, I gave pathways for victory for Sara, I gave pathways to victory for Bong Go... and of course now I am doing the pathway to victory for Leni,” he added.
Robredo is vying for the presidency with running mate Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. Duterte-Carpio is running for the vice presidency alongside presidential candidate and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.