Durano supports BBM-Sara; Davide remains with Robredo

CEBU CITY – The camp of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos Jr. has welcomed the support of gubernatorial candidate and former Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.

Erik Miguel Espina, a former Cebu City councilor and UniTeam Alliance-Cebu director, said Durano has announced his decision to go with his political party, Partido Pilipino Pagbabago (PPP), in supporting Marcos.

“All hands on deck. Unsolicited support from any Juan de la Cruz in politics is welcome, for the greater cause. Current politicization is no longer addition, but multiplication,” Espina told the Philippine News Agency.

He said the political phenomenon of contending local candidates endorsing a common presidential candidate is not new in the country’s politics after several politicians in the province, even those running against each other, is not new in Philippine settings. Espina said old alliances and affinities of political families in a locality are mostly what would count in choosing a national party or alliance.

“The stronger and leading candidate/tandem is always a preferred advantage for creating new alliances, to furthering/cementing long-standing affinity, from fathers to sons, especially among the old political names. This is realpolitik, inured and strengthened under the debased status of our party system,” he said.

Realpolitik refers to a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

Espina said the tandem of Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte continues to gain huge support not only from the masses, but also the stellar leaders of Cebu. He said Durano’s support would mean that his camp and his rival, incumbent Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, are now supporting Marcos.

In 2004, the Garcias and Duranos also endorsed a common presidential candidate and delivered votes for former President Gloria Arroyo.

Durano said the PPP recently issued a manifesto supporting Marcos’ candidacy. “It was published…and I was personally informed by the PPP national chairman (about this decision),” he said following his public announcement of supporting Marcos.

Durano is a scion of a political clan that founded the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) which earlier pledged support to the tandem of Marcos and Duterte. He also informed Marcos’ rival Vice President Leni Robredo’s camp of the PPP’s decision to support the UniTeam candidates.

Durano’s camp was supposed to join Robredo’s campaign in Talisay City, but this was cancelled following the PPP’s decision. “As such, we apologize to those who expected VP Leni to attend such gathering… Like Vice Governor Junjun’s statement, from the start we already expected the possibility of supporting different presidential candidates,” he said.

Davide, who is Durano’s running mate, is supporting Robredo. Despite their different presidential candidates, the duo continues their campaign in different parts of Cebu and is leading against their local rivals. (John Rey Saavedra. With additional reporting from Cebu Examiner.)