Magpale on Gwen’s Duterte endorsement: That’s expected, Garcia belongs to President’s party

President Rodrigo Duterte raises the hands of Representative Gwen Garcia and Daphne Salimbangon, who are running for Cebu governor and vice governor respectively in the May election. |Photos by Tonee Despojo

CEBU CITY, Philippines— Despite President Duterte’s endorsement of Cebu third district Gwendolyn Garcia, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, who is also running for governor against Garcia, said her group remains supportive of the President’s causes.

In a statement sent to CDN-Digital, Magpale said she already expected the endorsement made by the president considering that Garcia belonged to President Duterte’s party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino -Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

During the PDP Laban Cebu Campaign Rally on Sunday evening, President Duterte raised the hands of Garcia and running mate Daphne Salimbangon, other local PDP Laban and guest candidates as well as the senatorial line up of the party and the guest senatoriables.

Read more: Gwen, Labella-Rama lead PDP-Laban bets endorsed by Duterte for midterm polls

“The rally was a political exercise expected in any campaign. We expected it and true enough PDP candidates were endorsed by the President. It is after all the party that he ran under for the Presidency in 2016,” Magpale said.

Magpale

In his speech during the campaign rally last night, February 24, Duterte said he supports Garcia the same way that the latter supported his bid for the presidency in 2016.

“Grupo mi. Si Gwen [Garcia] ako gyud nang suportahan,” the President said.

Aside from the local candidates of PDP Laban, the president also raised the hands of the party’s five core slate for Senate dubbed as “MaBaGoKoTo” which stands for Maguindanao Representative Zajid Mangudadatu, former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, reelectionist Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, and former presidential adviser and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief Francis Tolentino.

The president also endorsed his guest senatorial candidates Senator JV Ejercito, Taguig City Congresswoman Pia Cayetano, folk song singer Freddie Aguilar, former Interior and Local Government Secretary Raffy Alunan and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, whom Duterte acknowledged as one of the first persons to support his candidacy.

President Duterte warned his ticket not to be involved in drugs or graft and corruption because he would never tolerate them.

“Mao nang ako silang (candidates) hangyoon sa inyong atubangan nga kinahanglan magkasinabot mi. Lisod kaayo nang naa moy inyong agenda unya naa pod koy ako,” President Duterte said.

Magpale, for her part, also said that she believes the president would not spare anyone involved in graft and corruption, not even his allies.

“Notwithstanding alliances formed in this midterm elections, we remain steadfast in support of President Duterte’s anti-graft and corruption [and] anti-drug campaign. We trust that the President will strongly go against officials who stole people’s money and he will not spare anyone, not even his political allies,” Magpale said.

For Cebu City, President Duterte also raised the hands of Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella who is running for mayor and his running mate, former Mayor Michael Rama./dbs