Karlo Nograles no longer seeking Senatorial seat

“I am grateful for the support of all the groups and individuals who encouraged me to run for a Senate seat in 2019,” Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, said. (File photo: Karlo Nograles/Facebook)

Davao City First District Representative Karlo Nograles on Wednesday, October 3, decided not to continue running for senator in 2019.

“I am grateful for the support of all the groups and individuals who encouraged me to run for a Senate seat in 2019,” Nograles, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, said.

“However, after much introspection and after consulting members of my family, I believe that I would be able to better serve the Administration of President Rodrigo Duterte by supporting the candidacies of fellow Mindanaoans who share my desire to bring development to the regions and uplift the welfare of our kapwa probinsyanos (fellow provincials),” he added.

Nograles was among those “very possible” senatorial bets of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party for the 2019 polls along with Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino, Makati City First District Representative Monsour del Rosario, Maguindanao Second District Representative Zajid “Dong” Mangudadatu, Quirino Representative Dakila Carlo Cua, and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel.

[READ: PDP-Laban names 8 ‘very possible’ bets for 2019 senatorial race]

Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio also endorsed Nograles.

The lawmaker, however, said he would instead campaign for Pimentel, Go, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, and other senatorial candidates from Mindanao.

In Pulse Asia’s latest Ulat ng Bayan survey on the upcoming senatorial elections, Nograles was not included in the 17 candidates that have “a statistical chance of winning” if the May 2019 elections were held in September.

Out of the 1,800 survey respondents, only nine percent of them said they are voting for Nograles, which landed him on the 27th to 33rd spot.

[READ: Grace Poe retains lead in Pulse Asia 2019 senatorial poll survey]