Cusi says Sara Duterte 'more PDP' than Pacquiao

PDP-Laban vice chairman and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Tuesday floated the possibility of the ruling party supporting Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in next year's elections if ever she decides to run for president.

“It is possible, but it has to go through a process in accordance to the by-laws, the constitution and by-laws of the party,” Cusi said in an ANC interview when asked if there is a possibility for PDP-Laban to support Sara Duterte.

Cusi added that Sara Duterte is “more PDP” than its party president, Senator Manny Pacquiao, with whom he has an ongoing rift. He said she already ran under PDP-Laban in one of her mayoral candidacies.

Sara Duterte is the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, PDP Laban's chairman.

“And kung si Mayor Inday Sara po, ang sabi ko nga po, she was a PDP, she was a PDP more than Manny Pacquiao. Because she has used the [Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance] of PDP, Manny Pacquiao has not used the CONA of PDP,” said Cusi.

"She ran for PDP when she ran for mayor," he added.

Cusi said three generations of Dutertes have been with PDP-Laban during their political careers.

“‘Yung nanay ni Pangulong Duterte, si Pangulong Duterte, at si Mayor Inday Sara, they are all PDP until nagkaroon nga po nitong Hugpong [ng Pagbabago],” Cusi said.

(The mother of President Duterte, the president himself, and Mayor Sara, they were all PDP until they formed Hugpong ng Pagbabago.)

Sara Duterte currently chairs Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), the regional political party of the Davao Region. She is also affiliated with Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod — a Davao-City based political organization which was registered by President Duterte as a local party with the Commission on Elections in 2011.

Alliance with HNP?

In the same television interview, Cusi said it is also possible for PDP-Laban, like other political parties, to align with the HNP but they are not working on that.

Last week, Cusi was expelled from PDP-Laban for “showing allegiance to a political party apart from PDP Laban.”

“Vice Chairman Cusi is already manipulating the party to support the Duterte-Duterte tandem which is a blatant admission of supporting Sara Duterte Carpio for President, who is not a member of the Party. He is guilty of having allegiance to a candidate and her political ideals and party. Such a candidate does not even believe in Federalism, her party fielded candidates against and opposed official candidates of PDP-Laban in 2019 Elections, and she is vehemently opposed to joining the PDP-Laban Party,” the PDP-Laban resolution ordered by Pacquiao stated.

But according to Malacañang on Monday, President Duterte still recognizes Cusi as PDP-Laban vice chairman despite his expulsion from the group.

In a previous interview, Sara Duterte said she would not join any national political party amid speculations that she would run for president in the 2022 elections.

"I do not intend to join any national political party," Sara said in a text message.

"I will rise and fall with the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) of Davao Region and Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL) of Davao City."

Sara has recently topped the presidential preference survey of Pulse Asia.  —KBK, GMA News