Lakas-CMD: Duterte didn't blame party for Sara's VP run

Lakas-CMD on Wednesday denied that President Rodrigo Duterte blamed the party for his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's decision to run for vice president in Eleksyon 2022.

The party was responding to the allegation of DIWA party-list Representative Michael Aglipay that Duterte was blaming Lakas-CMD for Sara's vice presidential bid at the time when his long time aide Senator Bong Go was gunning for the same position.

Go eventually withdrew his candidacy for vice president under PDP-Laban and substituted as a presidential candidate of the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS), beating the deadline for substitutions last November 15

"President Duterte did not make any categorical statement blaming Lakas-CMD for the decision of Mayor Sara to run as Vice President," the party said in a statement.

"We would like to refer Rep. Mike Aglipay to the interview of the President last Sunday with regard [to] Mayor Sara’s decision. Nowhere in his statement did the President blame Lakas-CMD or any member of the party for the Mayor’s decision," it added.

Lakas-CMD was referring to the President's interview with a blogger Byron Cristobal wherein the chief executive expressed dismay that his daughter's vice presidential run was decided by presidential aspirant and former Senator Bongbong Marcos, Jr.

Coup talks

Aglipay also told reporters in a separate interview that he thought Lakas-CMD was behind talks to oust House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and House Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD President Martin Romualdez.

"Tingin ko, galing din sa kanila ang info na yan. Ang nakuha kong text during entire Monday [this week] was to unseat speaker. Ang concern lang nila is si Majority Leader Romualdez," Aglipay said.

"Palalabasin nila, gagalawin nila si Speaker, kaya wag kami mag-attempt (I think that talks of coup are from their camp. They are concerned with the Majority Leader alone," he added.

"They are trying to make it look like they will go after the Speaker so we should attempt to oust Majority Leader Romauldez)," Aglipay said.

Aglipay said the tactic would not work.

"They are only 30 [in Lakas-CMD and] we are 200," Aglipay said.

Lakas-CMD rejected Aglipay's theory.

"There is also absolutely no basis to Rep. Aglipay’s insinuations that rumors on a supposed coup to oust the Speaker and the Majority Leader may have come from 'them' meaning Lakas. This is utterly preposterous," Lakas-CMD said.

"These rumors did not originate from us and we don’t have any intention of changing the leadership in the House of Representatives," it added.

The party said Sara was the guiding light of Lakas-CMD and that her call was to continue forging alliances and maintaining good relationships with all forces supportive of the administration’s efforts to improve the living conditions of Filipinos.

"We should all stop these finger-pointing and destructive politics and concentrate on passing the 2022 budget and other significant measures that will help our country recover from the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," Lakas-CMD said.

"We will continue to work closely with Malacañang to push for the President’s legislative agenda in the remaining months of the 18th Congress," the party added. -NB, GMA News