MANILA, Philippines – Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), the regional party led by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, has not one but two senatorial line-ups for the 2019 elections.

The President’s daughter explained to Rappler on Friday, September 28, that HNP, a Davao regional party, has one Senate slate with its ally national political parties and another slate just for the Davao region.

“[For] alliance partners, we have 8 [senatorial bets]…then 13 inside Davao region,” she said in a message.

In August, HNP forged alliances with 3 national political parties and 6 local parties from different parts of the country. The national parties they are allied with are Nacionalista Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), and National Unity Party (NUP).

Carpio, who is HNP chairperson, provided Rappler with the names on the two slates. 

HNP slate with ally political parties nationwide

• Senator Cynthia Villar
• Taguig Representative Pia Cayetano
• Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos
• Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald Dela Rosa
• Special Assistant to the President Bong Go
• Senator JV Ejercito
• Former senator Jinggoy Estrada
• Maguindanao 2nd District Representative Zajid Mangudadatu

HNP slate for Davao region

The HNP slate for Davao region is a longer list that includes Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, president of PDP-Laban, political party of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Also in this lineup are Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, Senator Sonny Angara, and TV reporter Jiggy Manicad.

This longer slate will be endorsed by HNP officials and members to their constituents in Davao region:

• Senator Cynthia Villar
• Taguig Representative Pia Cayetano
• Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos
• Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque
• Presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino
• Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald Dela Rosa
• Special Assistant to the President Bong Go
• Senator JV Ejercito
• Jinggoy Estrada
• Senator Sonny Angara
• Senator Aquilino Pimentel III
• Maguindanao 2nd District Representative Zajid Mangudadatu
• Reporter Jiggy Manicad

Inday Sara’s testimonials

In Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, in a large gathering of northern Luzon local government officials, Carpio mentioned 9 names as belonging to HNP’s senatorial lineup with its alliance partners. Apart from the 8 in the first list, she mentioned Roque.

She appealed to her audience of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Cagayan local executives to vote for the personalities she mentioned in the 2019 polls.

“Kaya po kami nandito dahil gusto namin makipag-alyansa sa inyo dito sa Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, at Cagayan para magkaroon po tayo ng isang lineup ng mga senators,” she said onstage.

(We are here because we want to forge an alliance with you here in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan, so we can have one lineup of senators.)

One by one, she introduced the personalities and spoke of their qualities.

She described Roque as a hardworking spokesman for her father.

“Kahit hindi na niya alam kung ano ‘yung ibig sabihin ng sinasabi ng boss niya, ginagawan pa rin niya ng paraan, nae-explain at napaiintindi sa mga tao kung ano ‘yung pronouncement ng Presidente,” she said.

(Even if he doesn’t know what his boss means, he still finds a way to explain the President’s pronouncement to the people.)

On Mangudadatu, she said it was high-time that a Muslim-Filipino take a seat in the Senate because they are the “best person to speak about the challenge of being a Muslim.”

She praised Villar’s “sipag at tiyaga” (work ethic) and cited Cayetano for her help in pushing forward reproductive health issues. 

As for Go, Carpio acknowledged his long years of diligent service to her father.

“Maraming nang nagawa sa north ang kanilang pamilya,” said the Davao City mayor about Imee Marcos. (Her family has done much for the north.)

When talking about the half-brothers JV Ejercito and Jinggoy Estrada, she teased about the hostility between the two, such that when one attended an HNP event, the other would be absent. But “individually, malaki naman ang na-contribute nila sa ating bansa” (individually, they have made big contributions to our country), she said.

Estrada was among the senators accused of plunder in connection with the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam. After more than 3 years in detention, he is currently out on bail.

But the introduction that got the most laughs was for Dela Rosa. The presidential daughter shared, and even acted out, a story about how the former police chief had fled from a Malaysian suicide bomber back when he was Davao City’s top cop in 2012. But Carpio ended her story by saying Dela Rosa’s team managed to neutralize the bomber. – Rappler.com