PDP members' move urging Duterte to run for VP not authorized, says acting party president Pacquiao

The move of some PDP-Laban members to urge President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in 2022 is not sanctioned by the party's leadership, according to Senator Manny Pacquiao, acting PDP-Laban president, on Friday.

"Hindi ko 'yan pinapahintulutan bilang acting president ng partido dahil ang focus ng partido ay kung paano pa tayo makatulong sa mga pamilya na nagugutom ngayon," Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao said the focus of the party now is to help the public deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and not politics.

On Thursday, Deputy Speaker Eric Martinez, a party stalwart, said some members of PDP-Laban are circulating a resolution urging Duterte to run for vice president in 2022 for continuity's sake.

Pacquiao called on all members of PDP-Laban to set aside politics for now.

"As party president, I have the responsibility to enforce the rules, promote cooperation, insist on civility and respect, and most of all, to remind you that we are one team, because it is only when we are united that we can stand strong to weather any storm and to face the greatest dangers," he said in a statement.

According to Pacquiao, the ruling party has no lineup yet for the 2022 elections.

"Hindi ito panahon ng eleksyon ngayon kundi panahon para magkaisa para marami tayo matulungan (It's not yet election season but a time for unity and helping)," he said.

He also distanced himself when asked for his comment on Duterte's latest remark that his most trusted aide, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, wants to run for president.

Pacquiao also said he still has no plans for 2022.   —KBK, GMA News