MANILA — The upcoming 2019 mid-term elections will be clean, President Rodrigo R. Duterte assured Friday, saying he will not allow intimidation and vote-buying to take place.
“It will be clean. The votes will be cast and will be counted correctly,” Duterte said during the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) leadership assembly in Pasay City on Friday.
Duterte is national chairman of the PDP-Laban.
Speaking before around 300 PDP-Laban members, Duterte emphasized that everyone, regardless of the political party, will be treated fairly.
Duterte hailed PDP-Laban for being a “principled [political] party,” and encouraged its members to maintain the party’s integrity.
He then reassured them his full support and underscored that the public interest must be preserved and protected at all cost.
Duterte said he would establish checkpoints nationwide to limit the number of security guards and firearms of the candidates and make sure that the campaign and election period is secured.
“I will limit the firearms to only two. Uniformed security, dalawa lang (just two),” Duterte said.
“You must surrender your excess firearms. Do not go around in excess of about two. But we will assign every candidate security, pero wala talaga yang (but there’s really no) terrorism-terrorism na yan,” he added.
Meanwhile, PDP’s public information committee chairman Ronwald Munsayac shared on his official Facebook account the list of personalities who might possibly run under the President’s political party.
They are PDP-Laban members Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III; Special assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go; Presidential Political Adviser Francis Tolentino; Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles; Maguindanao 2nd District Rep. Zajid “Dong” Mangudadatu; Makati Rep. Monsour Del Rosario; Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo “Dax” Cua; broadcast journalist Jiggy Manicad and singer Freddie Aguilar.
The list also include Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte; Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque; Bureau of Corrections Director Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa; actor and former Sen. Lito Lapid; Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano; actor Robin Padilla; former Interior Secretary Rafael “Raffy” Alunan and columnist Ramon Tulfo, who were considered “friends of PDP-Laban”.
The list also contained the names of re-electionist senators Cynthia Villar; JV Ejercito; Sonny Angara; Grace Poe and Nancy Binay. (PNA)
