PDP-Laban Cusi faction: ‘Attacks’ vs. Duterte linked to Eleksyon 2022

A faction of the ruling PDP-Laban on Tuesday issued a statement hitting the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, claiming these “attacks” are launched against the Chief Executive due to the upcoming 2022 national and local elections.

Energy Secretary and PDP-Laban president Alfonso Cusi said the attacks from the opposition were “desperate attempts to thwart their looming defeat” in next year’s polls.

Unlike the past presidents, Cusi claimed Duterte still enjoys the trust and support of the public even if he is on the last year of his term.

“Why do critics abound? It is because the 2022 national elections are only a few months away and President Duterte by far still commands very high trust and satisfaction ratings,” the energy chief said.

He cited the ongoing Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation into the Department of Health’s utilization of the COVID-19 funds.

“This is why the opposition keeps on bringing up issues even without concrete evidence. They have to make the people hate this administration for them to have a chance at victory,” he said.

Cusi made mention of Senator Richard Gordon and his chairmanship of the Senate blue ribbon panel as well as the Philippine Red Cross.

He also noted the alleged “overpricing” of COVID-19 tests by almost PHP2,000 each and the PRC’s alleged  “refusal” to honor discounts for senior citizens and PWDs as mandated by law.

These accusations were first mentioned by Duterte in one of his public addresses.

The PDP-Laban official noted that Gordon earlier announced that he is considering a presidential bid for the 2022 polls.

Moreover, Cusi mentioned that several other senators who are criticizing the Duterte administration have either announced their election plans or are reported to be gunning the country’s top post.

The rest of the senators are “identified” with the Aquino administration.

The Energy chief said the “Philippine political history is replete with cases of credible people being destroyed because of politics, made even worse because the prevailing political system is based on personalities and not on principles.”

But he maintained that PDP-Laban pushes for continuity, not of personalities like Duterte, but of programs, governance, and leadership which started under the current administration.

“President Duterte stands for principled leadership. His advocacy against drugs, criminality, terrorism, corruption, and poverty has resulted in positive changes and reforms. The people felt it, saw it, knew it. No matter what the critics say, President Duterte’s advocacies resulted in positive gains,” Cusi said.

He added that as long as "we tolerate personality-based politics, our country would not achieve the success and progress that we all deserve.”

VP run in 2022

Last September 8, Duterte formally accepted his nomination as PDP-Laban’s vice presidential candidate.

Cusi justified anew their decision to nominate Duterte as their vice presidential candidate, saying continuity is necessary, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He likewise reiterated their call for Senator Bong Go to run for president.

“A Go-Duterte tandem is the best tandem to ensure continuity of programs, governance, and leadership started by President Duterte,” Cusi said.

Another faction of the PDP-Laban is headed by Senators Manny Pacquiao and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. — RSJ, GMA News