Former president Rodrigo Duterte (Arnold Quizol/ MANILA BULLETIN)

House Assistant Majority Leader Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun has identified Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP)--the political party chaired by former president Rodrigo Duterte--as "the face of the opposition". 

"We have to call a spade a spade, ano. Nakikita naman natin ngayon na karamihan ng oposisyon, nagmumukhang ang mukha ng oposisyon ngayon ay ang PDP," Khonghun, of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) said in a press conference Tuesday, May 7. 

(We can see right now that most of the opposition, the emerging face of the opposition is PDP.) 

Khonghun gave this assessment even as Lakas-CMD, the dominant party in the 300-plus strong House of Representatives, was poised to coalesce with other major national parties ahead of the May 2025 mid-term elections. 

Lakas-CMD will formalize its alliance with President Marcos' Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) on Wednesday, May 8. 

"Karamihan ng bumabatikos at nagsasalita ng hindi maganda patungkol sa administrasyon ay mga miyembro ng PDP. Alam naman natin iyon," noted Khonghun, who in past weeks had called out Duterte for his alleged "destabilization". 

(Most of those who criticize and say bad things about the administration are members of PDP.) 

HAVE YOU READ THIS? 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/4/21/do-not-involve-us-pdp-exec-distances-party-from-duterte-s-attacks-on-marcos 

Lakas-CMD is led by its president, House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Romualdez is arguably Marcos' top ally in not just the legislature, but the entire bureaucracy. 

Duterte, who sat in Malacañang from 2016 to 2022, had assailed both Marcos and Romualdez in recent months on various issues.

Khonghun's statements notwithstanding, he thanked Palawan 2nd district Rep. Jose Alvarez, the president of PDP, for still choosing to support President Marcos.  

Alvarez said last month that the rest of PDP wasn't obligated to support Duterte's sentiments against the government.