The PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi announced its initial Senate slate for the 2022 elections on Wednesday, September 8.

The Cusi-led faction held its national convention on Wednesday, attended by party chairman President Rodrigo Duterte who had earlier announced his acceptance as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

The initial slate includes Cabinet secretaries and House lawmakers:

• Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III
• Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo
• Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade
• Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez
• Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque
• Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar
• Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner Greco Belgica
• House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta

The last four are guest candidates, according to the faction.

PDP-Laban officials said in a press briefing after the convention that the faction will still add more names to its Senate slate.

“Meron pa naman talagang pangalan that [are] being considered. May mga issues lang na they have to address personally and, even so, makukumpleto namin,” said PDP-Laban secretary general Melvin Matibag.

(There are other names that are still being considered. It’s just that they have issues that they have to address personally and, even so, we will be able to complete the slate.)

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The Cusi faction had already announced earlier its nomination for Marcoleta, Panelo, Tugade, and Villar. It also said it might field up to nine senatorial candidates for the 2022 elections and supposedly decided against fielding guest candidates.

The faction this week asked the Commission on Elections to declare the PDP-Laban camp of senators Manny Pacquiao and Aquilino Pimentel III as “illegitimate.” – Rappler.com