By John Clifford Lintao
FORMER House Speaker Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte 1st District) is no longer part of the administration party. He has joined Reporma, the political vehicle that was used by former Defense Secretary Renato de Villa when he ran for President back in 1998
In a statement farmed out by his office to the media, Alvarez reportedly accepted the offer of former Secretary de Villa to revive Reporma, a non-mainstream Party not affiliated with any personality reportedly seeking the Presidency, and take up its chairmanship.
Alvarez, through his office, said that he has formally stepped down from his post as Secretary-General of the ruling PDP-Laban on Sunday.
The statement likewise hinted the resignation was due to his intention to pursue a voters’ education campaign for the country’s 2022 polls, which rendered him “constrained to tender his irrevocable resignation from his position and membership in PDP-Laban effective immediately.”
Alvarez, who earlier left the majority bloc at the height of the lower chamber’s speakership row, clarified that he has not and is not inclined on joining the minority – at least, for now.
“Rep. Alvarez resigned from the Party because he intends to commit and pursue a voter’s education campaign for Filipinos given the importance of the 2022 elections,” the statement read.
“Unfortunately, serving as a ranking officer and member of PDP-Laban while simultaneously handling this advocacy may be misconstrued by critics as politicking by the Party presently in power,” it also said.
“This way, the voter’s education campaign can proceed, and rightly be perceived, as politically neutral without risking possible backlash against PDP-Laban,” it said, adding that “the Party’s assistance for those campaigns that led to historic electoral victories cannot be understated.”
During the speakership row, Alvarez endorsed the now-ousted Alan Peter Cayetano, after which he disclosed that he abstained from voting for or against now Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.