“We have to go with the decision of the party and the direction of the party.”
This was the explanation of Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. why he along with other governors in the country backed calls for President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in next year’s elections.
Defensor is a member of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
According to the governor, he has to support all the decisions made by the party.
Last month, the PDP-Laban passed a resolution urging Duterte to run for vice president .
The resolution earned support from at least 24 governors in the country.
In their collective statement, the governors said the administration’s COVID-19 response is “succeeding”, and they want the next president to be guided by Duterte particularly in the fight against illegal drugs and the prevailing pandemic.
“We want the President to seek the vice presidency so he could help his successor oversee the implementation of COVID-19 pandemic response programs his administration is carrying out to keep Filipinos from dying of the highly contagious new coronavirus and the illness it is causing,” the statement read.
“His war on drugs has made urban areas and rural communities more peaceful to live in and more conducive to economic activities. Just ask the people in our provinces,” it further read.
Governors Esteban Contreras of Capiz and Florencio Miraflores of Aklan also signed the statement, which was presented during the national assembly of the PDP-Laban at Royce Hotel in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga last July 17, 2021.
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview, former governor Arthur Defensor Sr., Toto’s father and namesake, opined that it would be a “political error” if the President decides to run for vice president.
“Indi ina maayo kon himoan niya. It is politically wrong. Pero it is politically legal. Whether its legal or constitutional nga ang incumbent president makandidato sa pagkabise presidente wala sang prohibition dira pero indi ina maayo. It is politically error nga himoun ina,” the former governor said in an interview over radio station Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo.
However, he said it would be advantage for Duterte to run as far as resources is concerned.
“Kay ang resources sang gobyerno national nga ginauyatan sang Presidente pwede mausar in the campaign for President sa kandidato ya,” the old Defensor said.
On the other hand, the disadvantage is that people will see it as “politically binastos.”
“Daw ka insulto sa tawo nga ang [incumbent] President makandidato sa pagka-bise presidente kag ang tuyo, there is nothing patriotic about it. There is nothing to show that it is love of country, and a genuine and sincere desire to serve our people. Kundi ang ila tuyo sina, mapadaug lang nila ang kandidato sa pagka-presidente,” the former governor said.IMT
