MALACAÑANG on Friday expressed hope that lawmakers of the Makabayan bloc would not sever ties with President Rodrigo Duterte.
"We do hope that Makabayan bloc will stay with the administration and the House majority," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told Palace reporters.
Abella's statement came a day after Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate, a member of Makabayan bloc, revealed that the bloc was mulling ending alliance with Duterte.
On September 7, Zarate said the Makabayan bloc at the House of Representatives, which is composed of militant lawmakers, is eyeing to cut ties with the current administration following Duterte's alleged "anti-people, pro-imperialist, and fascist policies and actions."
He said several issues, such as drug-related killings, stalled peace talks, and rejection of ad interim appointments of Judy Taguiwalo (Social Welfare Secretary) and Rafael Mariano (Agriculture Secretary) "have torpedoed" Duterte’s alliance with the Left.
Zarate said the bloc is ready to pull out from the alliance with the Duterte administration but still have to wait until the meeting next week to discuss the matter.
Abella was optimistic that Makabayan bloc would remain supportive of the President’s programs and policies if they could not be stopped from cutting ties with the current administration.
"If they will decide to go, we wish them well and we hope that they will remain open to working together with others on issues of shared interests," he said. (SunStar Philippines)