‘Liberal Party pa rin!:’ Lagman pooh-poohs notion that VP Duterte is new opposition leader

Vice President Sara Duterte (left), Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman (Facebook)

The Liberal Party (LP) remains the “ideological and conscientious opposition” despite Vice President Sara Duterte’s resignation from the Marcos Cabinet.

Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman, the president of LP, had this to say amid the declarations of some, particularly lawyer Harry Roque, that the Vice President is now the opposition leader.

“Vice President Sara Duterte may assume the leadership of the partisan opposition to the Marcos Jr. administration, but the Liberal Party (LP) remains the ideological and conscientious opposition to both the current administration and Duterte’s breakaway power bloc,” Lagman said in short statement Thursday, June 20.

“The LP continues to uphold its iconic principles on good governance, participatory democracy, constitutionalism, human rights protection, and anti-authoritarian rule,” added the Bicolano.

Vice President Duterte resigned on Wednesday as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary–the position entrusted to her by her “UniTeam” partner President Marcos over two years ago.

Roque formerly served as spokesperson of the lady official’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte. The elder Duterte has emerged as a vocal critic of President Marcos in recent months.

Lagman is a self-styled “independent minority” congressman in the House of Representatives.

— Ellson Quismorio