Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino and Christopher “Bong” Go on Monday, April 22 welcomed former President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to endorse their bid and introducing them as senatorial candidates for reelection under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in the 2025 midterm elections.
“I value President Duterte’s endorsement. Tayo po ay tumatanaw ng utang na loob (We acknowledged debt of gratitude),” Tolentino said when asked if he still sees Duterte’s endorsement as a plus in his bid for reelection to a Senate seat.
Recently, the PDP, in its national meeting, where the “Laban” was dropped from the party's official name, endorsed Senators Tolentino, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, and Bong Go as its official candidates for a reelection bid.
On the subject of dropping Laban from the original party’s name PDP-Laban, Tolentino, who said he is not privy to the removal of Laban, surmised that it is part of the party's rebranding.
“To drop the name Laban is an evolutionary process of a shift in the ideology because Laban would always be to speculate and conclude fight, always be confrontational and oppositional. Perhaps the rebranding would probably be directed to moderate Filipino voters,” he explained.
Tolentino said that PDP-Laban was founded 42 years ago, and it is not possible to fight continuously.
He said that, for him, the dropping of Laban from the party’s name was right, as it is an evolution of ideology and an appeal to unity to increase its mass base.
Go, in a separate statement, also welcomed Duterte’s endorsement of his reelection bid though he said he perceives it too early to discuss politics at this time.
“Alam kong medyo maaga pa para pag-usapan ang eleksyon. Subalit, ngayon pa lang ay nagpapasalamat na ako sa aming party chairman former president Rodrigo Duterte at sa aming mga kapartido sa kanilang patuloy na suporta at tiwala sa aking kakayahang manilbihan pa sa bayan (I know it’s too early to talk about the elections. But, as early as now, I am thankful for our party chairman, former President Duterte, and our party mates for their continued support to me and to my capability to serve the nation),” Go said.
“My faith in our party’s ideals and my commitment to help realize them for the welfare of our people remain strong. Naniniwala ako sa demokrasya (I believe in democracy),” he stressed.
“That is why I continue to fight for, protect and preserve the democratic values of our country,” he also said.
On the dropping of "Laban" from its official name, Go said he acknowledges the party's decision as it must adapt to the changing conditions of time and make it more responsive and reflective of evolving realities of the country's political arena.