NUP adopts Paolo Duterte as member

The National Unity Party (NUP) has adopted presidential son and Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte as member of their group.

“Deputy Speaker Pulong Duterte is adopted NUP,” Deputy Speaker Roberto Puno, an NUP official, told reporters in a text message.

The NUP, a major political party, is currently chaired by Ronaldo Puno, a former secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Currently, Paolo is not a member of any national political party.

He, however, is the president of local party Hugpong ng Tawong Lungsod, a sister party of Davao Mayor Sara Duterte's Hugpong ng Pagbabago.

Meanwhile, their father, President Rodrigo Duterte, is the chairman of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino - Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party.

Paolo earlier expressed intention to run for Speaker of the House following talks of term sharing he said being "obsessively pushed" by then-Taguig City Representative Alan Peter Cayetano.

The Davao congressmen later backed out from the race and even nominated Cayetano for the speakership. He has since then been elected deputy speaker.

Apart from Paolo, ACT-CIS Party-list has also been adopted in the NUP.

The party-list's representative Niña Taduran herself confirmed the development in a statement.

"We welcome the adoption of ACT-CIS Party-list under the National Unity Party. This will help the party-list to widen its affiliation in achieving the national goal towards a progressive nation," she said.

ACT-CIS Party-list, nevertheless, will remain part of the 54-member Party-list Coalition in its commitment to attaining its national economic objectives.

"ACT-CIS Party-list is bound to deliver its commitment to the Filipino people specifically those who believes in our capacity to provide better public service," she said. —NB, GMA News