PDP-Laban national president Rogelio Garcia, along with Quezon 2nd district Rep. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala and board member Elizabeth Sio, a...
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| PDP-Laban national president Rogelio Garcia, along with Quezon 2nd district Rep. Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala and board member Elizabeth Sio, and other party officers led in the oath-taking ceremony of the new PDP-Laban members in Quezon province held at the multipurpose covered court in Bgy. Cotta, Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) |
by John A. Bello
LUCENA CITY - The administration’s PDP-Laban party headed by its new national president, lawyer Rogelio Garcia, has recruited and gained over a thousand of new members here led by Quezon 2nd District Vicente ‘Kulit’ Alcala, a former Liberal party stalwart in Quezon Province.
“Tayo’y nasa-PDP-Laban ngayon dahil ako’y naniniwala na mas mabibiyayaan tayo sa lalawigan ng Quezon kung malapit tayo at nasa ilalim ng administrasyong Rody Duterte at sa pamunuan ni Atty. Rogelio Garcia sa partido ng administrasyon ay matutupad natin ang ating pangarap na mas maunlad na lalawigan kaysa sa kasalukuyan,” said Alcala, the former LP-Quezon provincial chairman on Thursday’s Basic Membership Seminar and Orientation on Federalism and Oath-taking Ceremony of PDP-Laban held at the jampacked multipurpose covered court in Bgy. Cotta here.
Alcala, former vice governor and 2nd-termer congressman who has long revealed his plan to run for governor in 2019 midterm elections, appealed to all the participants to unite and support Pres. Duterte and the administration party, PDP-Laban.
Provincial board members Hermilando Alcala Jr., Elizabeth Sio and Association of Brgy. Captains provincial federation president Ireneo ‘Boyong’ Boongaling, mayors Marcelo Gayeta of Sariaya and Joselito Alega of San Francisco, vice mayors Pepay Mendoza of Dolores and Romano Castillo of Tiaong, Lucena city councilor Boyet Alejandrino, Lucena barangay chairmen Reil Briones and Jose Lagar, General Luna municipal mayoralty aspirant Jenny Glifonea were among the over a thousand Quezon incumbent officials and political aspirants who raised their left hands to the oath-taking ceremony administered by Garcia.
“You are now PDP-Laban members who were sworn to adhere by our party principles and you must now mobilize and organize in your respective barangays and communities to gain more adherents to strengthen our party for the incoming elections next year,” said Garcia who came with several PDP-Laban national officers and campaigners for Federalism which aims to replace the present unitary-presidential form of government.
Accompanying Garcia to the event were Director Cris Gotladera, PDP-Laban vice president for Luzon; Anthony del Rosario, chairman, national membership committee; Lolita Miranda, Pasay city, secretary general; and Reymar Mansilungan, chairman, national education committee.
Streamers of Garcia, Alcala and Maguindanao 2nd district Cong. Zajid ‘Dong’ Mangudadato, who is planning to run for senator in next year’s elections, are placed prominently during the event.
Mansilungan, traced the history of the 36 yrs. old political party and its first national convention held on Feb. 6, 1982. He said its first national chairman was the late venerable senator Lorenzo Tanada and its first president was Aquilino ‘Nene’ Pimentel Jr.
He said that back then, the PDP-Laban fought Martial Law as basic principle and fought through politics so people can have choices other than the armed struggle offered by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
He discussed the 5 basic principles of PDP-Laban which are: theism or belief in God, humanism or belief in mankind, enlightened nationalism or genuine love of country, democratic socialism which is rooted in equality and consultative and participatory democracy which involves the people in governance.
Del Rosario talked about the party structure starting from the barangay chapter and the formation of barangay council with 12 officers such as the president, vice president, secretary general, etc. Then this is just replicated in the municipal, regional and national levels.
Then he stressed the need to advocate federalism for PDP-Laban members: “Hindi ka puwede sumapi sa PDP-Laban kung di mo yayakapin ang federalismo.”
Abner Malabanan, a mayoralty aspirant in Tayabas city, lectured the participants about federalism aided by power point presentation, its difference with the present unitary-presidential form of governance, and its advantages for the country.
“The beauty of federalism is that power is invested in the local governments and bureaucratic inefficiency is avoided,” he said as he cited the DPWH and Dep-ED national government agencies which have billions of annual national budgets but cannot fully utilize them to benefit the local governments.
Garcia expressed confidence about the rift in the party that his group will prevail against the opposition of senator Koko Pimentel and former House speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
Garcia’s faction of PDP-Laban has ousted Pimentel and Alvarez during the national assembly on July 27 in Quezon city and Pres. Duterte tried to intervene between the 2 warring groups to unite and strengthen the party, to no avail.
“We are compliant with our constitution and by laws of the PDP-Laban and we are confident that we are the legitimate group,” Garcia said as he urged the new local party members in Quezonk to go ahead with their organization at the local level and for trainors’ training to be conducted for federalism.
Asked about former DOJ secretary Vitaliano Aguirre who heads the PDP-Laban chapter in Quezon, Alcala simply said he does not see any problem with Aguirre as he, Alcala, is merely a member of the party.
Aguirre, when he was still in the DOJ, has led last year a similar basic orientation and seminar for federalism and mass oath-taking ceremony for PDP-Laban at the Quezon Convention Center here which was attended by Alvarez and other national party officialsh, Quezon 1st district Rep. Katrina Enverga, 4th district Rep. Angelina ‘Helen’ Tan, several municipal mayors and barangay officials.
Alcala said he will call for a formal and bigger assembly of new PDP-Laban members before the filing of candidacy in October to prepare for the elections next year.
Garcia called Alcala ‘governor’ to affirm the latter’s gubernaturial plan next year as his campaign ditty during his previous congressional electoral campaign was played several times in brief intermission during the event.
Almalyn Bello-Bacus, staff of Alcala at the district office, said 1,229 came to attend and register at the event but a hundred others were unable to register.
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