DUTERTE TO ‘ENDORSE’ BONGBONG, PANELO

BACOLOD CITY: President Rodrigo Duterte will endorse the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand ”Bongbong” Marcos Jr., citing the endorsement of his political party — Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban Cusi faction), former Malacañang spokesman and Senate candidate Salvador Panelo said on Wednesday.

“I will not be surprised if [the President] will eventually do the same,” Panelo said in a news conference at the Stonehill Suites in Bacolod City.

On Tuesday, the PDP-Laban (Cusi faction) endorsed the Palace bid of Marcos.

Panelo, who is running under the UniTeam of Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, said only Bongbong did not criticize the President.

“BBM calls for unity, which he [Duterte] has not heard from any presidential candidate,” he pointed out.

Panelo said Marcos himself commits to support continuing reforms being initiated by Duterte.

Meanwhile, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th, a Senate candidate of the Angat Tropa under the tandem of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, paid a courtesy call on Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson at the capitol.

When asked about a possible endorsement of PDP-Laban Cusi wing of Marcos, Trillanes said, “We don’t see it as an added boost to the BBM camp simply because it’s only (Energy Secretary Alfonso) Cusi, who endorsed Marcos, not Duterte himself.”

“These are two different things and I believe some local officials also look at it that way” he added.

On the statement of Panelo that Duterte will definitely endorse Marcos, Trillanes said, “That’s an assumption of Panelo. Everybody knows that Secretary Panelo assumes too much. We just have to wait for the actual announcement, if any, if that announcement comes at all.”