Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Wednesday sent President Rodrigo Duterte a list of names that the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) is considering to include in its 12-person senatorial slate in the 2019 polls, asking for his “opinion”.
The list was included in a letter dated August 15.
In the letter, the senator stated that from within the party, the PDP-Laban is considering Special Assistant to the President Christopher ‘Bong’ Go; Secretary Francis Tolentino; Representative Karlo Alexei Nograles; Representative Zajid ‘Dong’ Mangudadatu; Representative Geraldine Roman; Representative Monsour del Rosario; singer Freddie Aguilar; former news anchor Jiggy Manicad; Representative Alfredo ‘Albee’ Benitez; and Representative Dakila Carlo ‘Dax’ Cua as among the candidates.
From outside the party, on the other hand, Pimental said the PDP can recruit ‘friends of the party” such as presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte; Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa; actor Robin Padilla; former Senator Lito Lapid; former Secretary Rafael Alunan; columnist Ramon Tulfo; presidential spokesperson Harry Roque; and Representative Pia Cayetano.
Pimentel also mentioned five re-electionist senators who belong to the majority coalition in the Senate “who are generally supportive of your administration” namely Senators Cynthia Villar, Juan Edgardo Angara, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay.
“I hope that the party leadership can sit down with you, as the party chairman, at the earliest possible time so we can talk about party matters and prepare for the fast approaching May 2019 elections,” he said ended in his letter.