Alvarez welcomes 50,000 new PDP-Laban members

FILE: Photo: Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez/Facebook.com

CEBU CITY — House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez welcomed and thanked the 50,000 officials who took their oath as new members of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Friday, saying their affiliation will surely shore up support for President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration’s programs.

“I thank you all for showing your support to our beloved President by joining the PDP-Laban, most especially now that the real battle of the President is just beginning,” Alvarez told the new party members in the Cebuano vernacular during the mass oath-taking at the Plaza Independencia here.

Alvarez said that although the President has accomplished so many things in his one-year-and-a-half in office, a lot of things have yet to be achieved and Duterte needs “our all-out support” to improve the lives of the marginalized and to fast-track the delivery of basic services to the people.

According to Alvarez, foremost in the change agenda of the President is poverty alleviation.

“In our system of government, the rich becomes richer and the poor becomes poorer. And that is what the President wanted to change. This is also why you’re joining the party is very essential as you would help the President in effecting this change the soonest time possible,” Alvarez told the new PDP-Laban members.

“We need to be united in order to implement change in our country. We should not be afraid to change the system of government in the Philippines,” Alvarez added.

Alvarez also assured that President Duterte would not step down until everything in his agenda is not fully accomplished.

Meanwhile, a shortage of buses was observed at the Cebu South Bus Terminal late Friday afternoon as buses were hired to transport PDP-Laban supporters from other towns attending the mass oath-taking at the Plaza Independencia. (PNA)