By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Barely 11 months before the 2025 midterm elections, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has seemingly become the proverbial sinking ship with the resignation of Palawan Rep. Jose “Pepito” Alvarez as the party president.
This developed following reports that Senator Robinhood Padilla will be ultimately “crowned” as Duterte’s PDP president.
Last June 4, the reputed “Bad Boy” of Philippine movies who emerged as topnotcher in the 2022 senatorial race expressed willingness to be the next party president of PDP if it would help Filipinos.
Padilla claimed that he did not seek the position but it was just offered to him.
Reliable sources bared it was the feisty former President Duterte who had offered the party presidency to the former action star.
On June 10, 2024, Alvarez wrote his resignation letter, saying he quit effective immediately.
“Due to personal reasons, I have decided to resign from the party. I valued the opportunities and experiences presented to me and I am grateful for the support I have experienced,” he said.
As early as April, Alvarez already began distancing from Duterte after the ex-president made “baseless” public allegations that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was a drug addict.
The billionaire lawmaker is known as an astute businessman with interests in logging, real estate, and transportation.
Alvarez owns the Philippine distributorship for the car brands Kia, Peugeot, and Terrafirma.
PDP has been rocked by mass resignations in recent weeks.
Last May, over 60 politicians from Negros Occidental, including Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez, bolted the erstwhile ruling party.
Earlier this month, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes also resigned from PDP.
(el Amigo/mnm)
