Hugpong ng Pagbabago, a regional political party of Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, has signed an alliance with eight local and national political parties in Aseana, Parañaque, and could be a dominant force in the coming 2019 local elections.
President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, better known as Inday Sara, spearheaded the signing along with Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Seth Frederick Jalosjos, and Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda and other members of the Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, and the Nationalist People’s Coalition and five other political parties in a packed meeting on Monday morning.
“This is just the first batch of the political groups that have signified to form an alliance with Hugpong,” said Davao del Norte Gov. Anthony del Rosario, Hugpong secretary general, told reporters. at the Blue Leaf Filipinas in Parañaque.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, for his part, belied an apparent internal squabble within the ruing PDP-Laban.
“The so-called internal problem is a figment of the imagination of some people,” Pimentel said.
“We know its political season already. Hence PDP-Laban should not allow itself to be distracted by all these noise maneuvering and psywar tactics,” said Pimentel, president of the party founded by his father, former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel II.
Earlier, Pimentel slammed Rogelio Garcia, elected president of what he called “rogue” members of their party for “harvesting the fruits of their hard work.”
Inday Sara formed the HNP following a falling out with PDP-Laban stalwart former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez Jr.
She also signed a coalition with Alyansa Bol-anon Alang sa Kausaban, Aggrupation of Party for Progress, Ilocano Timpuyog, Kambilan, and Padayon Pilipino and Serbisyo sa Bayan Party, which is expected to meet with the administration’s political party in the coming local elections.
Sara’s father is chairman of the ruling political party.
Sara has maintained that the HNP will remain a regional political party even as several national political parties joined it.
Sara said the HnP was willing to help the embattled PDP-Laban, which is embroiled in an infighting among its members.
Imee Marcos said the HnP would be the voice of Mindanao and of Northern Luzon, which was previously dominated by the Liberal Party of former President Benigno Aquino III.
Marcos said she joined the HnP because “is not a monolithic, hierarchical or traditional party. Its approach is very local.” With Jess Malabanan and Macon Ramos-Araneta
