Palace commends Pangilinan for ‘accepting defeat’
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 21 May 2019 06:18:50 +0000
MALACANANG on Tuesday commended Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan for resigning as president of the Liberal Party (LP) following the loss of all eight opposition senatorial candidates in the last midterm elections.
“That’s commendable. He (Pangilinan) accepts defeat,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said during a press conference.
“As he says it, he’s responsible for the loss of the senatorial candidates of the Liberal Party and the Otso Diretso,” he added.
Pangilinan, who was campaign manager, resigned following the impending loss of the entire slate.
He said he would take full responsibility for the crushing defeat.
“As campaign manager for the Otso Diretso slate, I was unable to ensure our victory in the elections and I therefore assume full responsibility for the outcome and hold myself primarily accountable for this defeat,” Pangilinan said in a statement.
But Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, who also serves as LP chairman, refused to accept Pangilinan’s resignation.
Asked if the Palace’s stand is the same as Pangilinan’s, Panelo said, “Sa amin, kaya natalo sila dahil ang taumbayan hindi naniwala sa kanila. Mas naniwala kay Presidente Duterte (For us, they lost because the people did not believe in them. They believed in President Duterte).”
“This is a referendum of the performance of this President. Oh, ‘yun ang issue eh (That’s their issue). They didn’t raise the issue against the candidates endorsed by the President or Mayor Sara, but they concentrated and focused on the performance of the President and the issues raised against him. And the people simply repudiated them,” he added, referring to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, who heads the administration-backed regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago. CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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