Duterte to hold caucus to unite ‘factions’ in party, says top aide
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will call a caucus to unite the “factions” that have emerged within his political party, his top aide said on Sunday, after a new set of officers were elected in a general assembly last week.
“I mentioned this yesterday to the President, that there were really other factions [of the party]and I did not know that. I told him, he is the chairman of both factions, while I am also the auditor of both factions. So he said, he will just call for a caucus and consolidate the two groups,” Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said quoting Duterte.
At the same time, Go admitted that he and the President were “clueless” about the faction within the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng bayan (PDP-Laban) that staged the elections, which replaced Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd and Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte as president and secretary-general of the party respectively.
“It was only yesterday that I learned of the faction, meaning, when they asked me about the assembly and I was chosen [as the auditor,]I told them that I was already the national auditor, but this time around this is another faction,” said Go in a radio interview.
Go said he and the President were elected in February 2016, along with Pimentel, Alvarez, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president Clint Aranas, who is also federal manager.
Go said both Pimentel and his supposed “successor”, lawyer Rogelio Garcia, were open to uniting the party.
“This is good news. First, this party brought out President to his position now, so it will be wasted if we will let [the broken ties]be, so the President said he will talk to both parties,” the aide said. “Anyway, they are real supporters of the President.”
Ronwald Munsayac, chairman of the PDP-Laban public information committee, said the “roque members” would be dealt with in accordance with the party rules.
The post Duterte to hold caucus to unite ‘factions’ in party, says top aide appeared first on The Manila Times Online.