The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) on Thursday officially proclaimed nine senatorial candidates for the upcoming 2025 midterm elections.

No less than former President Rodrigo Duterte rallied the crowd at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City.

The candidates are Senators Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa; the former executive secretary of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., lawyer Vic Rodriguez; actor Philip Salvador; singer-turned-lawyer Jimmy Bondoc; lawyer Jayvee Hinlo and Raul Lambino; and Representative Rodante Marcoleta.

Duterte called for diverse representation in government, saying “we are all siblings” and “we should talk together… Ilonggo, Waray.”

Earlier, he took a potshot at the President for being a leader who allegedly used illegal drugs, a reiteration of an earlier claim.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez, in rousing the crowd, questioned the authenticity of the 215 signatures of the members of the House of Representatives on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Where did the 215 come from? Let’s give it to them. Maybe they are geniuses since the blanks ended up as a P6.3523-billion budget,” he said, adding that only 84 members of the House could have read the complaints.

“They are stealing the money of the Filipino people. They are selling 25 tons of gold without revealing who bought it and for how much. And now, even the position of our Vice President, is the Marcos administration trying to steal that, too?” he said.

Rodriguez, who served as Marcos’ first executive secretary, called on the Duterte supporters to support the PDP Laban’s senatorial slate and the embattled Vice President Duterte.

The House of Representatives impeached the Vice President last week on allegations that she threatened to have the First Couple and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed, and her alleged misuse of confidential funds.

“Let us protect the 32 million Filipinos who legally, constitutionally, lawfully, and democratically elected Vice President Inday Sara Duterte para maging ating pangalawang pangulo,” he said.

Rodriguez also criticized what he called the “malicious” approval of the 2025 national budget, slamming the alleged inclusion of blank items by the bicameral conference committee of Congress.

Rodriguez likened the PDP Laban to vinegar that could destroy “fake gold,” as he declared Duterte’s senatorial bets as the opposition slate.

He vowed to amend the Plunder Law and pushed for mandatory drug testing for all government officials.

Vice President Duterte extended her greetings to the PDP Laban senatorial slate during the proclamation rally.

In her message read by the hosts, Duterte expressed her belief that the current condition of the country could be changed by the people’s power to vote wisely.

“I trust that the power to change the current course of our nation lies with the people, through voting for individuals who are deserving, honest, and dedicated in serving the country,” she said.