Alvarez wants Mocha, Roque in Senate

Controversial Presidential Communications Operations Office assistant secretary and blogger Mocha Uson and presidential spokesman Harry Roque will most likely be included in the senatorial ticket of the ruling PDP-Laban in the 2019 elections.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, the party’s secretary-general, announced in Cebu yesterday that the two Palace officials were the latest addition to the PDP-Laban slate.

He made the announcement during the mass oath-taking of new party members from Cebu province, including Cebu City. He later confirmed it in a text to

Aside from Uson and Roque, Alvarez said the ruling party’s possible senatorial candidates include Reps. Alfredo Benitez of Negros Occidental, Karlo Nograles of Davao City and Geraldine Roman of Bataan, and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino.

Benitez chairs the House committee on housing and urban development and the Visayas bloc of congressmen, while Nograles heads the appropriations committee.

Tolentino lost his senatorial bid in 2016 as part of the ticket of President Duterte. He has a pending election protest against detained Sen. Leila de Lima.

Last month, Senate President Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who is PDP-Laban president, announced six of his “dream” ticket.

The six are Pimentel himself, House majority leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, Benitez, Nograles, Roman and Tolentino.

Pimentel, however, was quick to add that the list was not yet final, as it was “developing, evolving.”

He said the administration party would try to field 12 candidates but was also open to entering into an alliance with other groups to complete its slate.

Uson, however, said she has no political plans, although she might run if ordered to do so by President Duterte.

Roque, meanwhile, said he did not have funds to run for the Senate.

“I am very thankful for the confidence shown by Speaker Alvarez. I cherish the encouragement and am humbled by the endorsement,” said Roque, who was among those who took oath as members of PDP-Laban.

“I am, however, focused on my new job as the President’s spokesman and my priority right now is to do my absolute best in communicating the message of the President to our people,” he added.

“I am also without means to pursue a Senate bid,” Roque said.

He would need about P500 million to run a successful national campaign.

Roque said his priority is to be “the best spokesman that I can be for the President.”