Since the administration party has already firmed up the presidential and vice-presidential run of Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Friday stressed that a “Marcos-Go” tandem is no longer possible.
Cusi, president of his faction in the ruling PDP-Laban, said they are no longer in touch with the camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, Cusi revealed that PDP-Laban was able to talk to Marcos after Dela Rosa filed his certificate of candidacy for president.
However, he said nothing materialized from their discussion.
To date, Marcos has remained without a running mate, although he has in mind personalities who can run with him for a Senate seat.
Marcos is eyeing the presidency under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, which was founded by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Earlier, Marcos said he wanted Duterte to be his running mate, but the Chief Executive dropped his initial plan to seek the vice presidency. He was replaced by Go, his longtime aide, on the PDP-Laban ticket.
Cusi said the idea of a Marcos-Go tandem was first floated earlier this month when Marcos filed his certificate of candidacy. At the time, PDP-Laban’s Dela Rosa had not yet filed his bid for the presidency.
The Cusi wing had initially pushed for a Bong Go-Rodrigo Duterte tandem. But with the President’s announcement that he would retire from politics, Go eventually settled for vice president and Dela Rosa became the party’s standard bearer.
The Energy Secretary also believes Duterte will not change his mind about running for vice president, so they instead encouraged him to run for senator.
Meanwhile, Go emphasized his full commitment to pursue and expand further the programs and positive change started by the Duterte administration.
He also said that any change in the PDP-Laban plans for 2022 elections would depend highly on the decision of Duterte, the party chairman.
The senator lauded the accomplishments of the Duterte Administration’s legacy projects and initiatives, notably its focus on peace and order, while emphasizing the need to sustain them in the years ahead.
He has also welcomed the idea of President Duterte running for senator in the 2022 elections, saying that he would be a “big help” in the government if elected.