CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he is open to a political alliance with Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), a new regional political party headed by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
This after HNP expressed interest in working with Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) and other politicians not allied with Partido Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP-Laban).
“There are good people in the Duterte administration, as a matter of fact I like the President himself and I keep saying if it were not for the President we would be in a very big trouble today. We have to remind people about his stand against drugs because I know the kind of problem the world is facing,” he added.
HNP was launched by Duterte-Carpio last Feb. 23 as a regional party to support the administration of her father, President Rodrigo Duterte who heads PDP-Laban.
In an Inquirer report, the younger Duterte said HNP had no links with PDP-Laban.
HNP was formed by Duterte-Carpio and some Mindanao politicians, some of whom were eased out from the PDP-Laban camp by House Speaker and party secretary general Pantaleon Alvarez.
But Osmeña clarified that BOPK won’t swear allegiance to any party.
“(We’ll) work with other people. It doesn’t mean I have to swear allegiance with them, no. She doesn’t like Alvarez, I don’t like Alvarez,” he said.
Osmeña said his being a mayor like Duterte-Carpio means they share common concerns and visions.