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This handout photo from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino shows former President Rodrigo Duterte speaking at the party's anniversary and national council meeting in Cebu City on Apr. 19, 2024. PDP-Laban Facebook page

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Duterte speaks at PDP anniversary in Cebu City

Annie Perez

ABS-CBN News

<div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1713574190908PDP-Laban-handout.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="This handout photo from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino shows former President Rodrigo Duterte speaking at the party&#x27;s anniversary and national council meeting in Cebu City on Apr. 19, 2024. PDP-Laban Facebook page"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This handout photo from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino shows former President Rodrigo Duterte speaking at the party&#x27;s anniversary and national council meeting in Cebu City on Apr. 18, 2024. PDP-Laban Facebook page</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">CEBU <strong>(CORRECTED)</strong> — Former President Rodrigo Duterte will stay with Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, he said Friday at the 42nd anniversary of the party born as an alliance of the PDP and Lakas ng Bayan opposition parties.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The party on Friday voted to drop the Lakas ng Bayan, or Laban, from its name.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“I am not against anybody going out of the party and changing party line. I do not have an opinion — I do not have a judgement on that. I do not have anything to say,” said Duterte.<br/><br/>In his hour-long speech, the former President said that his father, a former Davao governor and member of the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Cabinet, showed similarly loyalty to the Nacionalista Party.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">He said he would only switch parties “maybe as a matter of principle.” </p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The former administration party has seen members switch membership to the majority Lakas-CMD party or President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/14/23/more-solons-abandon-dutertes-pdp-laban" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: More solons abandon Duterte-led PDP-Laban, move to Partido Federal, Lakas</a></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“I would like to remain [with] PDP, irrespective of whoever is the president,” Duterte, party chairman, said.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">The party is fielding Sens. Bong Go, Ronald Dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino in the 2025 senatorial elections and announced the inclusion of former actor Philip Salvador in its potential lineup.  </p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Duterte made no mention of President Marcos nor of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, who has acknowledged a rift between her and Vice President Sara Duterte. </p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal"><br/></div><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3017514"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">Palawan 2nd District Rep. Jose Alvarez, PDP president, said the party meeting was meant to gather members who had not seen each other in a long time and for its national council to discuss organizational matters.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“There are things that we will adopt in this meeting. We are doing it here in Cebu because of the presence of a party stalwart — no less than Mayor Mike Rama of Cebu City,” said Alvarez.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><br/></div><p style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal">“Please do not associate this as something we should talk about to support national issues,” he further asked members of media.<br/><br/>For his part, Mayor Rama said that he wants to make a statement that PDP is “still around” despite changes in the current administration.</p>

<p>“I would like to remain [with] PDP, irrespective of whoever is the president,” Duterte, party chairman, said.</p>

“I would like to remain [with] PDP, irrespective of whoever is the president,” Duterte, party chairman, said.

Duterte stays with PDP; party drops 'Laban' from name

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Duterte stays with PDP; party drops 'Laban' from name

Annie Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 20, 2024 09:00 AM PHT

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Updated April 21, 2024 10:10 AM PHT

Read More:

Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas

Rodrigo Duterte

Cebu

Cebu City

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