Monday, October 06, 2008 No party talks yet, JV says of Duterte
SAN Juan Mayor Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito denied the opposition has invited Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to join them.
"Wala pa namang definite kasi malayo pa 'yun. But Mayor Duterte will definitely be a good addition to any political party. A local chief executive who is both respected and successful will be an asset to anybody," Ejercito said.
"Right now, all we talk about are local concerns and Mindanao issues. There was no order from President Erap to talk to the mayor about that. We know the mayor is of independent mind and that he has a commitment to the present government. However, the friendship has always been there regardless of politics. Our relationship with Mayor Duterte is beyond that," Ejercito said.
Duterte, in a separate interview, confirmed this, saying he has not received any invitation to join the opposition.
"Basta ako, my deal with the president ends in 2010. After that, tan-awon na lang nato," Duterte said.
Despite this non-committal statement, however, all through the years that he has been in politics, Duterte had only established alliances with certain national politicians but has never left his original political party, the PDP-Laban.
