Duterte to lead PDP-Laban sortie in Cebu
President Rodrigo Duterte will lead the campaign sortie of PDP-Laban senatorial candidates in Cebu on February 24.
A major political rally is scheduled for that day at the Plaza Independencia where 80,000 people, including local candidates, are expected to attend.
Cebu vice gubernatorial candidate Marie Daphne Salimbangon confirmed that PDP-Laban-One Cebu candidates led by third district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia were invited to the gathering with Duterte.
Barug-PDP-Laban members in Cebu City led by mayoralty bet and incumbent Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella are also joining.
Labella said he does not have the details yet but he confirmed the president will arrive in time for the celebration of the city’s Charter Day.
“We are having meetings with our leaders. I still have to ask the particulars but we are now having meetings with our leaders in the province,” he told The FREEMAN.
Labella said the presence of Duterte will help the local candidates because the president enjoys a popular rating.
“It is very seldom for a president who is in his third term in office to be enjoying the high rate of popularity with 81 percent,” he said.
A source told The FREEMAN that Duterte will formally endorse the local candidates during the gathering.
KP-VISAYAS BETS
Meanwhile, Kilusang Pagbabago, the grassroots movement of Duterte supporters, is supporting only seven senatorial candidates.
KP-Visayas lead convenor Doris Isubal Mongaya said they believe that Zajid ‘Dong’ Mangudadatu, Bato dela Rosa, Bong Go, Koko Pimentel, Francis Tolentino, JV Ejercito, and Cynthia Villar can help push the change agenda of the Duterte administration.
Mongaya, in a statement, said the movement looks forward to the realization of federalism and anti-poverty programs of the administration when these seven candidates join the next Senate.
The decision to support them was finalized during the KP Visayas Political Summit, which was attended by 100 KP leaders over the weekend at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
The lineup could have been eight had former presidential spokesman Harry Roque not withdrawn from the senatorial race because of health reasons, she said.
According to Mongaya, KP-Visayas will align with the individual campaign sorties of the candidates in different communities in the Visayas where there are active KP chapters. KP-Visayas has over 400,000 active members.