One Cebu members, Liberal Party mayors transfer to Duterte’s PDP-Laban

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Members of One Cebu Party and at least 12 southern Cebu town mayors allied with the Liberal Party (LP) will officially transfer to President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Friday, November 17.

Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia, founder and president emeritus of One Cebu party, will lead members in the mass oath taking with PDP-Laban at the Plaza Independencia in Cebu City.

“We fully support the political masterstroke of Speaker Pantaelon Alvarez, secretary general of PDP-Laban, and Presidential Asistant for the Visayas, Secretary Michael Dino, in consolidating all political forces that, after the May 2016 elections, have now seen the light and switched their support from their old parties and loyalties to the administration of President Duterte and PDP-Laban,” One Cebu said in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 14.

One Cebu was founded in 2007 “to consolidate the then unprecedented political unity” in the province of Cebu.

“One Cebu is hopeful that this mass oath taking will once again usher in a new era of political unity in the province,” the local party said.

More than political convenience, however, Once Cebu said the united force would rally behind and help institutionalize the priority programs of Duterte, among them:

• Federalism
• War against drugs and criminality
• War against poverty
• Redistribution of the nation’s wealth to the Visayas and Mindanao through infrastructure spending

Meanwhile, at least 12 mayors in the southern towns of Cebu have informed Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III of their shift to PDP-Laban.

The mayors come from Cebu province’s 2nd and 7th districts, said Davide, who is Cebu chapter chairman of the Liberal Party (LP).

Davide said he told these mayors that he has not problem with them shifting their alliances “as long as it is for the good of the constituents.”

In August 2016, some 300 politicians from Cebu City, Mandaue City, Aloguinsan, Balamban, Bantayan, Barili, Borbon, Consolacion, Cordova, Liloan, and Medellin, either from LP or the United Nationalist Alliance, jumped ship to PDP-Laban. – Rappler.com