Cagayan de Oro City — A founding member of PDP-Laban warned on Monday that any attempt to arrest former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will backfire, triggering a “snowball effect” that could boost the nine PDP-Laban senatorial candidates, who are now inching into the so-called Magic 12 in the senatorial race.

Manny Lumanao, PDP-Laban regional president, told DAILY TRIBUNE that public attention is now focused on Duterte’s return from Hong Kong following reports—circulating in both mainstream and social media—that the Philippine National Police (PNP) may arrest him upon arrival, either at Ninoy Aquino International Airport or in Davao City.

"Any arrest will backfire on the administration candidates," Lumanao said in a telephone interview from Tandag City, Surigao del Sur.

"It will be a clean sweep for the nine senatorial candidates in Caraga Region," he added.

Lumanao, who is leading PDP-Laban’s political campaign in Caraga, cited the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which shows that at least two PDP-Laban candidates—Senator Bong Go and Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa—are now in the Magic 12, with Go ranking among the top three senatorial contenders.

Lumanao, co-founder of PDP-Laban in 1983 alongside the late Senator Nene Pimentel, was appointed regional president in 2015. His appointment was signed by then party president Senator Koko Pimentel and confirmed by President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

PDP-Laban played a crucial role in catapulting the late President Corazon Aquino into office in 1986 and later backed Duterte's successful 2016 presidential bid.

Duterte was among the original party members and was officially sworn in as a PDP-Laban member when he first ran for mayor of Davao City in 2001.

Lumanao was one of the key figures who laid the groundwork for Duterte’s presidential campaign. At that time, PDP-Laban initially fielded Martin Diño, the party’s secretary-general for Central Luzon, as its presidential candidate while Duterte remained undecided. Eventually, Duterte replaced Diño as the party's standard-bearer.

By then, the elder Pimentel had stepped down, passing the leadership to his son, Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, who became party president and later, chairman emeritus.

After Duterte assumed the presidency, internal conflicts emerged within PDP-Laban. The elder Pimentel distanced himself from the administration-led faction of the party, choosing instead to focus on federalism as a member of the Consultative Committee.

"Whatever the party does in accordance with the rules of the party regarding any party matters, that will prevail," Pimentel told the DAILY TRIBUNE before his passing.

Despite past crises, PDP-Laban has remained resilient, with over 50,000 card-bearing members, including a “supermajority” in the House of Representatives under the leadership of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

At its peak, PDP-Laban’s membership included numerous congressmen, governors, and mayors across the country, solidifying its status as a dominant political force.