Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio accepted Wednesday the chairmanship of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the political party leading her campaign for the second top post in the May 2022 polls.
This comes after Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. earlier in the day offered his position to the presidential daughter.
“I am honored to accept the chairmanship of Lakas-CMD,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement released by her spokesperson, Liloan, Cebu Mayor Christina Frasco.
“Together with the party, I look forward to waging a successful campaign for Uniteam BBM-Sara, with the invaluable support of our fellow Filipinos,” she added.
On November 11, she joined Lakas-CMD after leaving Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the regional party she founded.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez belied rumors about a supposed coup to effect a change of leadership at the chamber which would have come from Lakas-CMD.
Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president and representative of Leyte's First District, made the statement in response to insinuations of DIWA party-list Rep. Michael Aglipay on the issue.
"There is also absolutely no basis to Rep. Aglipay’s insinuations that rumors of a supposed coup to oust the Speaker and the Majority Leader may have come from 'them' – meaning Lakas. This is utterly preposterous. Once again, these rumors did not originate from us and we don’t have any intention of changing the leadership in the House of Representatives," Romualdez said in a statement.
Romualdez also said President Rodrigo Duterte did not make any categorical statement blaming Lakas-CMD for the decision of Mayor Sara to run as Vice President.
"We would like to refer Rep. Mike Aglipay to the interview of the President last Sunday with regard to Mayor Sara’s decision. Nowhere in his statement did the President blame Lakas-CMD or any member of the party for the Mayor’s decision."
"Mayor Sara is now the standard bearer of Lakas-CMD and the acknowledged guiding light of the Party. We are constantly guided by her instructions to continue forging alliances and maintaining good relationship with all forces supportive of the administration’s efforts to improve the living condition of the Filipino people," Romualdez added
Meanwhile, Romualdez, chairman of the House committee on rules, maintained the House leadership as well as the Lakas-CMD continued its "strong and unequivocal support to President Duterte and his bid for the Senate in the 2022 elections."
"We will continue to work closely with Malacañang to push for the President’s legislative agenda in the remaining months of the 18th Congress."
He said "finger-pointing and destructive politics" must stop.
"We should all stop these finger-pointing and destructive politics and concentrate on passing the 2022 budget and other significant measures that will help our country recover from the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."