PDP-Laban drew more members in Davao del Norte as at least 30,000 were sworn in by Senate President and PDP-Laban national president Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III in Tagum City on Friday.
The mass oath-taking ceremony was reportedly the largest political gathering of the PDP-Laban in the home province of House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, secretary-general of the party.
Pimentel recalled that at the time Alvarez joined the party, there were only about 20,000 members but this has grown to 300,000 registered members throughout the country and abroad “because of the OFWs.”
Before the mass oath-taking, Pimentel challenged the audience if they were ready to pledge to the “party with an ideology of President Duterte” and it was welcomed with a thunderous “yes.”
An estimated 15,000 participants were inside the gym and many more were outside as they could no longer be accommodated inside the venue.
Alvarez also spoke about the concrete gains of the people under the Duterte administration with the support of the House and the Senate, such as the free college education in state-owned universities, and free irrigation.
He also urged the people to support the administration’s senatorial slate.
Alvarez also expressed confidence that he would maintain his grip on his position amid ouster rumors against him.
“Those are just plain rumors. I am still the Speaker of the House,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said that ouster plots are normal occurences in politics even as he shrugged off the alleged threat reportedly from Northern Luzon congressmen to unseat him.
Alvarez said he believes he still has the trust and support of President Rodrigo Duterte and the members of his supermajority coalition at the Lower House.
Despite his quarrel with the President’s daughter Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio of Davao City, Alvarez said he and the President maintains a cordial relationship.
“Nothing has changed,” he said.
Alvarez said he will not allow himself and his leadership to get distracted by the alleged coup even as vowed to continue performing his legislative functions in securing the passage of the President’s agenda.
Several lawmakers, including Alvarez’s fellow Mindanaoans, rallied behind the Speaker and denied the coup plot against him. With PNA