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[av_heading heading=’Over 200 officials pledge allegiance to PDP-Laban’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY TIFFANY ANNE TAN and MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – More than 200 local government officials from this city and Negros Occidental took their oath as new members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Friday.
Ten elective officials here led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia were inducted into the party of President Rodrigo Duterte at L’Fisher Hotel.
In Negros Occidental, pledging allegiance to the ruling party were 20 mayors, 19 vice mayors, two Provincial Board members, 120 city councilors, 32 municipal councilors, 24 volunteers, and Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr.
Aside from Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and councilors Em Ang, Dindo Ramos, Caesar Distrito, Ricardo Tan, Cindy Rojas, Elmer Sy, Bartolome Orola, and Renecito Novero also took oath.
They all belong to the local party Grupo Progreso.
Rep. Greg Gasataya, another Leonardia ally, did not move to the PDP-Laban. He stuck with the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the mayor said.
City Administrator John Orola also took oath as new PDP-Laban member.
House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez administered their oath.
Also present were Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi, Agriculture secretary Manny Piñol, and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Martin Diño.
Earlier, Marañon said he hopes joining the PDP-Laban will be the first step for the rival provincial parties — United Negros Alliance and Love Negros — to unite.
“During elections we fight, but after that we unite again,” the governor had said. “If we unite, it would be good for the province, good for everybody, good for the candidates. I am hopeful we would unite.”
Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Negros Occidental, 3rd District) had also said he wants the two parties to work together. “The elections are over. There is no distinction politically at this point,” he said.
“It’s not the time to talk about politics,” Benitez stressed. “This is the time to get down and work. We are working for our country and the province.”
Glendol Badon, national executive director of the PDP-Laban, spoke during a seminar on federalism — its concepts, principles and possibilities — that was held in the morning on Friday.
A basic membership seminar was held prior to the afternoon’s oath-taking./PN
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