CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Senate President Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III led the swearing in of over 7,000 individuals to the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) gymnasium on Saturday.
Pimentel told the administration party’s new members, consisting of municipal and barangay leaders from all over Northern Mindanao, that PDP-Laban “is not a party of convenience, but a principled party.”
Pimentel said he expects the new members to help expand the party’s reach in the grassroots, as well as “support the candidates of the party, especially that we need help with federalism.”
He also stressed that while the party is growing, PDP-Laban should focus more on “quality rather than quantity of its party membership.”
For his part, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno, who was among the thousands who ditched the Liberal Party to join PDP-Laban, said his taking the party oath was just a mere “formality.”
Moreno claimed his politics had long been influenced by the PDP-Laban founder, former Senate President Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr.
Moreno said he contracted the “political virus” from the elder Pimentel, some 25 years ago when they were working on a case together.
“I was transformed from somebody who hated politics to somebody who wanted to be a public servant,” he said.
Meanwhile, the younger Pimentel briefed the party’s new recruits on the progress of the move to amend the 1987 Constitution.
He said both chambers of Congress were now in the process of studying the various proposals to shift from the current system of government to a federal form.
The senator also said he was setting aside his differences with House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, adding he was reserving the possible rounds of verbal arguments with him later when they would meet to deliberate all the points raised on the Constitutional change.
“We had a very basic agreement,” Pimentel said, referring to his deal with Alvarez.
“Why would we argue when there is no point yet? We will only spend our energy on substance, the actual proposals, and when we will meet down the road, that’s when we argue.” Pimentel reiterated his support for federalism, but added that he was also for the “strengthening by incorporating anti-political dynasty provision.”
He said he still believes in the retention of term limit for elected public officials. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/PNA)
