The officers elected during the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP)
national assembly on Dec. 14, 2023, have asked the hierarchy for
support and appreciation, following a constitutional crisis and
leadership vacuum.
In the Jan. 10 letter of the new national president and chairman for
Federalism and Direct Democracy, former Catanduanes Gov. Leandro B.
Verceles Jr., told Antonio F. Lagdameo Jr., special assistant to
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the national executive vice
president of PFP, that all provisions of the party Constitution and
By-laws (CBL) and the Revised Corporation Code were followed after the
term of office of former officers expired on Sept. 18, 2023.
The expiration of the term resulted in a leadership vacuum and a
constitutional crisis, thus a reorganization and election of new
officers.
Verceles is also the political Campaign Manager/National Chairman for
Political Campaign Management.
“With unwavering loyalty to President Marcos and the amended party
CBL, we remain committed to ensuring the integrity, effectiveness, and
transparency of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas,” Verceles stated in
his letter to Lagdameo.
President Marcos is the party’s national chairman while Verceles is
the national president.
In a separate Jan. 9 letter of Verceles, former Mayor Antonio C.
Rodriguez, now PFP national secretary-general and national treasurer,
engineer Antonio C. Marfori, they said the constitutional crisis
stemmed from the alleged refusal to leave their positions as former
national president, ex-secretary general and former general counsel of
Reynaldo S. Tamayo Jr., Thompson C. Lantion and lawyer George S.
Briones, respectively.
“Had Tamayo, Lantion, and Briones followed the party Constitution and
By-Laws, by conducting an election for party national officers before
Sept. 18, 2023, and potentially reelected themselves, the
constitutional crisis could have been averted,” the trio told Pres.
Marcos.
Further, the three were accused of concealing the CBL guidelines on
the two-year term. Due to the crisis, the former regional chairmen and
officers, provincial, city, municipal, and barangay officers also lost
their standing authority a year before Nov. 11, 2022.
To address the constitutional crisis resulting from the alleged gross
negligence of the three party national officers, the party Regional
party members, utilizing the residual authority of continuous party
membership granted by the party CBL, organized themselves by electing
new regional chairmen and officers.
The restored standing authority enabled them to convene a National
Directorate meeting promptly followed by the National Assembly on
December 14, 2023, both meetings were with a quorum.
Other PFP national officers are Rep. Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos
III, national executive committee chairman; Mayor Antonio C.
Rodriguez, national secretary-general; engineer Antonio G. Marfori,
national treasurer; lawyer Rudyard A. Avilla III, Counsel; Assam M.
Ullangkaya, national auditor; Gabriel A. Sotto, vice president for
Luzon; Lorenzo G. Sagucio Jr., vice president for Visayas; Ulangkaya,
vice president for Mindanao; Manuel D. Andal, vice president for
political affairs; Julius Caesar O. Aguiluz, senior political adviser.