NPC pledges support for Duterte, Alvarez

Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte has found new allies in the Nationalist People's Coalition, the country's second largest political party, which backed his rival, Sen. Grace Poe, in the last election.

On Friday, the NPC formalized its alliance with Duterte's Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) by signing an "agreement of support" at the Makati Diamond Residences in Makati City.

Present at the signing were NPC leaders such as party president Isabela Rep. Giorgidi Aggabao and Senator-elect Sherwin Gatchalian, and PDP-Laban head Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III and incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of PDP-Laban.

Duterte has endorsed Alvarez as the next speaker of the House of Representatives, where 44 of its incoming members are from the NPC.

NPC is also allied with nine party-list groups, according to party spokesman Mark Enverga.

On Tuesday night, Alvarez attended an NPC gathering which was also graced by NPC chairman emeritus Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. and businessman Ramon S. Ang.

PDP-Laban, NPC ink coalition agreement in support of incoming Pres. Duterte and Cong Bebot Alvarez's speakership bid pic.twitter.com/neQuPfFUfX

— Virgil Lopez (@virgillopez) May 20, 2016

In the agreement, NPC and PDP-Laban vowed to "constructively engage" the Duterte administration in crafting a "populist agenda that will bring peace, progress and prosperity to the whole country."

"We pledge to defend his mandate by providing constructive advice up to the last day of his term because we believe that major changes can only take root if the nation's energies and attention are not dissipated and divided by petty politicking," the parties said.

It was the third coalition agreement inked by PDP-Laban this week after securing the support of the Nacionalista Party and Lakas-CMD.

Duterte's party is also set to coalesce with the National Unity Party, whose members include former allies of former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and some party-list groups.

The agreement strengthened Alvarez's bid for the speakership, a post that he can wrest from incumbent Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. if he gets the votes of more than 150 lawmakers when the 17th Congress opens in late July.

Asked if Alvarez already has the numbers to elect him as speaker, Pimentel said: "I think so. Kausap ko naman si Bebot Alvarez and I think he has 180 in a 300-member Congress. That should be more than enough."

Alvarez has said that no less than 80 congressmen have indicated they will jump ship to the camp of the Duterte, whose legislative priorities include revising the Constitution to form a federal system of government and reviving the death penalty for heinous crimes such as drugs, rape and murder. — RSJ/KG, GMA News