THE PHILIPPINE STAR
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
neurs ,.,
Rody to attend PDp-Laban
campaign kickoff tgday
By ALEXIS ROMERO
President Duterte will
drum up support for his innetr
circle senatorial bets from the
Partido Demokratiko Pilioino-
Lakas ng Bayan lfOn-fiU*)
during the kickoff of the par-
ty's campaign for the midterm
polls today.
PDP-Labary a rnoribund
politic.al party until Duterte
dominated the 2016 prcsiden-
tialrace, is fielding five senato-
rial candidates, three of them
former appointees ofthe pres!
dent corrections and national
police chief Ronald dela Ros4
presidential aide Christopher
Go and political affairs adviser
Francis Tolentino.
Completing the ticket are
PDP-Laban president Sen.
Aquilino Pimentel III and
Maguindanao Rep. Zaiid Man-
gudadatu.
The opening salvo of . t_he
ruling party will be held in
San Jose del Monte town.in
vote-rich Bulacan, according
to itredia advisories sent bi
Malacafiang and PDP-Laban.
Ii will be the first cah-
paign sortie to be attended
by Duterte, who has vowed
to help candidates who sup.
-
ported his presidential bid.
Another coalition alisned
with the administration] the
lrgpo"g ng Pagbabago led
by presidential daughter
and Davao Citv Mavoi Sara
Duterte, launihed it, ."--
'paign last Tuesday
in Pam-
panga.
FEBRUARY 14, 2O19
The President skippe C the
event supposedly to attend
to pressing matters. All five
PDP-Laban senatorial bets are
part of the Hugpong which is
carrying 13 candidates.
FDP-Laban national cam-
paign manager Sen. Manny
Pacquiao, who was part of the
senatorial ticket of the rival
United Nationalist Alliance in
2016; is also expected to attend
today's campaign launch.
Of the five PDP-Laban can-
didates, two are in the top 12
of the latest.senatorial survey.
Go, who has been very vii-
ible in tarpaulins and Whose
IiJe was featured in a popular
drama anthology, ;irniped
kom 15-16th place to 5th-6th
place, according to a recent
Social Weather -Stations poll
commissioned by a ceftain
Jess AbaJos.
Pimentel ranked 10th in the
suwey which was conducted
ftom Jan. 23 to 26.
Presidential spokesman Sal-
vador Panelo previously said
Dutertds endorsement would
boogt&e chances of candidates
who arb supportive of the ad-
miniskation s agenda.
"The President... as he said
will endorse certain candidates
ofhis choice so presumably he
will be actively campaigning
srnce he is not prohibited by
law to do so," Panelo told
in Malacaflans last
f"g:fi.r
"An endorsement could
hanslabe into votes, given the
popularity of the President,
" PAhE -b,
but then again the ultimate
judgment will be on the part
of the people," he added. '
Despite his optimism, pan-
elo said it was too earlv to
predict the outcome of'the
senatorial race.
"I carurot predict anything.
Perhaps we will have a'clearir
picture one week before (the
election). Too earlv for that.,'
Panelo said.
"Regardless of rvhoever
will wio the victorv will be
on the electorate beiause it,s
their choice that will win ,, he
added.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo
Nograles urged voters to go
tor candidates who are in fa-
vor ofa shift to a firderal form
of government. "
Dela Rosa. for his part,
received flak for his lewd
comments during the first
campaign sorlie in Pampanga
Iast Tuesdav
He jokirigly said the best
way to leam the local dialect
is to kiss a female resident
"lips-to-lips."
Dela Rosa said he will not
apologize to whoever was
offended by his remarks. ,,I
never meant that. It was iust a
joke," he said.
He accused the "dilawans,,
or yellow supportgrs of the
opposition Liberal Party of
imputing malice to his siate-
ments. * With Emmanuel
Tupas, Robertzon Ramirez,
Cecille Suerte Felipe, Bebot
Sison, Eva Visperas, Jose Ro-
del Clapano