Pres. Rodrigo Duterte will be in Cebu City this weekend to spearhead the PDP-LABAN political rally. In a press briefing, Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) spokesperson Titus Borromeo said, they are expecting a crowd of 120, 000 to 150, 000 for the activity set in the Plaza Indepencia on Sunday, February 24. “This will be the biggest political rally in Cebu that is why we prepared for a contigency of up to hundred fifty thousand people, ” Borromeo said in the briefing held at the OPAV office in The Greenery in Mabolo.
According to Borromeo the rally will start at 2pm where all the PDP-Laban senatorial candidates and its guest candidates are expected. Sen. Manny Pacquiao, the PDP-Laban campaign manager is also expected to be present including the guest candidates of the party, who were earlier endorsed by the President. “We are expecting also Manny Pacquiao to be here, he is the campaign manager of PDP-Laban,” Borromeo added.
All the local candidates of PDP Laban in Cebu City led by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and Cebu province will be around too, including the Mayors, Congressmen, down to the town councilors. All of the five PDP-Laban senatorial bets; former Special
Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, former PNP Chief and Bureau of Corrections Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Political Affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino and Maguindanao Congressman Zajid “Dong” Mangudadatu and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel lll will also be present. It could not be immediately confirmed though if who among the guest senatorial candidates will join the rally.
Asked whether all the Cebu candidates will be proclaimed by raising their hands as endorsement, Borromeo said it will be up to the President. “That’s really up to the President, we can not preempt what the President will be doing” Borromeo answered. ” Borromeo said, the President will be officially welcome by OPAV Sec. Michael Dino in the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Airbase along with the senior military and police officials based in Cebu.
As the President will be around, Borromeo announced that “backpacks” will be banned within the rally site including bottled mineral water, ballpens, pencils and flying of drones.
OPAV political officer Ricardo Mendoza said the permit for the rally applied for by the PDP-Laban Cebu has already been approved by Mayor Tomas Osmena. “Everything is okay, the permit and all, Mendoza told Newsph.org. in vernacular.
Pictures by Allan Defensor and Christian Maningo
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