On its 40th year since it was formed by Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. in 1982, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan remains a dominant political force in the country. Much can be attributed to the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte, who remains very popular with Filipinos to this day.

In fact, in the recently released Social Weather Station survey covering his final week in Malacañang, adult Filipinos gave President Duterte an excellent satisfaction rating of 88 percent — a new record-high. Since the social satisfaction with the leadership of President Duterte is so high, the implication is that he will remain to be an important voice in the nation's political landscape.

The recent conduct of the National Assembly of the PDP Laban electing a new set of officers led by the new party president, the former governor now Palawan 1st District Representative Jose "Pepito" Chaves Alvarez, made former President Digong very happy. The party may have lost some numbers in Congress but the former president is very comfortable with those who stayed. He refers to PDP Laban now as a movement. PDP Laban will likely stick to the former president's "Tuloy ang Pagbabago" policy themes which made former President Duterte very popular.

Much has been speculated about the statements of former President Duterte in the PDP Laban National Assembly regarding the role of the party as a "fiscalizer" to the Marcos administration. I already clarified in some interviews that PDP Laban endorsed the tandem of President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte in the May 2022 elections with then-President Duterte's consent. The former president reiterated the party's full political support to President Marcos. PDP Laban wants President Marcos to succeed because his success is the country's success.

What 'fiscalizing' truly means is to be able to influence policy choices within the current government systems and institutions. This is what the participation of citizens in political parties is about: To influence policy directions, choose and engage leaders, and possibly, be the next generation of leaders. This will bring stability and vibrancy to the country's political system. This is how PDP Laban aims to reinvent the political party system. PDP Laban wants to veer away from dependence on personalities and instead focus on issues, principles, and platforms.

PDP Laban is aware of its strength in the legislature and the LGUs, and how this can inspire and effect policy shifts and directions. The newly elected Executive Vice President, Senator Robin Padilla, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments, for example, has recently filed Senate Resolution No. 6 urging the study of a government system shift to a parliamentary form of government to provide political stability that would prevent an unconstitutional way of removing a head of government. Note that this has been part of PDP Laban's ideology from inception — the pursuit of the most adequate and appropriate system of government to reach our overarching goal of peace, progress, and economic development.