No ‘Partido’ endorsement for Imee

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Even with Vice President Sara Duterte endorsing Senator Imee Marcos’s Senate bid, there’s still no official word from the opposition party Partido ng Bayan (PDP) on filling the last slot in its senatorial lineup, a party insider told Daily Tribune on Saturday.

“As of last week, only 10 candidates have been officially endorsed by PDP,” the source said. “Senator Imee is not among those listed on the party’s sample ballots being circulated at rallies nationwide.”

The insider said the PDP — which is distancing itself from its original Lakas ng Bayan name — hasn’t included Imee in any official campaign materials.

Lakas ng Bayan was the original name of the party founded by the late Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. It was under its banner that former President Rodrigo Duterte launched his successful presidential run in 2016.

A founding member of PDP Laban urged both factions of the party not to drag Vice President Sara Duterte into the ongoing internal conflict, emphasizing that she has never been a member of the party, despite her father’s strong ties to it.

“It’s unfair to pull Vice President Sara into the feud. She’s never been a part of PDP Laban,” the party elder said.

Tensions have been rising within PDP Laban after Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III — the late founder’s son and current party leader — pushed the Senate to fast-track the impeachment proceedings against VP Sara.

In a formal letter to Senate President Chiz Escudero, Pimentel invoked the party’s name in calling for the start of the impeachment trial.

PDP Laban, founded in 1981 by then opposition mayor Nene Pimentel of Cagayan de Oro, has played a key role in several major political shifts — from the rise of President Corazon Aquino in 1986 to Duterte’s ascent in 2016.

Duterte was sworn in as a party member when he ran for mayor of Davao City in 2001 and he rejoined the party ahead of his presidential bid.

The elder Pimentel, who passed away in 2019, distanced himself from the party leadership after Duterte became president, handing over the reins to his son Koko. He told Daily Tribune before his death that while he no longer had a say in party decisions, PDP-Laban had weathered many internal storms before.