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Friday, March 29, 2024

Koko blasts Rody Senate bid

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Sen. Koko Pimentel, national chairman of the Pacquiao faction of the PDP-Laban party, on Thursday branded as “desperation” a rival faction’s move of encouraging President Rodrigo Duterte to join the senatorial race in the 2022 national elections.

“Shows desperation on the part of (Energy Secretary and faction president Alfonso) Cusi and his group. They give the impression that they do not have strong candidates within their group and that they are all simply riding on and are totally dependent on the popularity and strength of personality of the incumbent President,” said Pimentel in a statement.

“That for us is ‘personality politics’ which we want to see ended here in PH as soon as possible,” the senator added, noting that leaders should aspire for issue-based politics.

Cusi admitted in a radio interview yesterday that if their faction of PDP-Laban can’t have Duterte as their vice president, they wanted him instead to run as senator to bring his style of leadership to the Senate and “revolutionize” the Upper Chamber.

He told TeleRadyo he is sure one of their group’s senatoriables would be ready to give way to the President if he decides to seek a Senate seat.

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“I’m sure that one of them will be ready to make the sacrifice if the President will run,” Cusi said.

Melvin Matibag, secretary general of the Cusi faction, said Pimentel “must be referring to himself” when he made that statement.

“Personality politics is advising Senator Manny Pacquiao to run for president just because he is popular even though the latter is a non-performer in the Senate and leads all senators in most absences,” Matibag said in his own statement.

“The idea of President Rodrigo Duterte running for senator is an offshoot to what some senators are doing now, abusing the oversight powers of the Senate in aid of reelection instead of crafting laws to uplift the lives of the ordinary Filipinos,” he added.

Pimentel, however, said the good future of our country “is better assured by a program of government approved by the people through their votes than by blind loyalty to a mortal person with the expectation of a return of favor.”

After accepting the endorsement of the Cusi faction to run for Vice President, Duterte backtracked and was replaced by Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go.

Cusi said the party’s proposal for Duterte to run for senator was already conveyed to the President.

But he said the President maintained he would retire from politics when his term ends in June next year.

The energy secretary noted that Duterte’s possible candidacy for senator was meant to bring “real change” in the Senate.

“Definitely, a senator that would bring or represent the real interest of the majority of the people,” he said.

“We don’t want to waste that. We hope to harness his wisdom and his leadership to improve and change the system in the country,” emphasized Cusi.

He also brushed aside allegations that Duterte’s candidacy was meant to exact revenge against his critics, who had launched investigations into alleged misuse of government funds amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That will be a total disservice to the nation, to the public. That’s very shallow. You don’t deserve to be in the Senate if you only want revenge or you are just representing an interest,” he said.

The Cusi faction senatorial lineup is composed of presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo; Silvestre Bello Jr., brother of Labor Secretary Bello III; former Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade; former Public Works Secretary Mark Villar; anti-corruption commission chair Greco Belgica; Sagip party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta; actor Robin Padilla; and broadcaster Rey Langit.

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