INCUMBENT first district councilor Bernie Al-ag expressed that he was not surprised by his family member's expulsion from Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod (HTL).
Speaking at Magsaysay Park on the morning of October 8, 2024, he noted that he had already distanced himself from the party in 2023 and considered the HTL's statement a mere formality.
Bernie recalled a fallout with incumbent Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte during the latter's first State of the City Address (Soca), where Duterte questioned their alliance. Following that encounter, Bernie stated they could no longer collaborate effectively. This disagreement also led to his resignation as chairperson of the committee on trade, commerce, and industry, and the committee on labor, as he disagreed with the city's administration approach.
In 2018, Al-ag took his oath as vice mayor, succeeding Paolo Duterte, now incumbent Davao City First District Representative, who resigned on December 25, 2017, citing family problems.
Meanwhile, incumbent third district councilor Wilberto Al-ag confirmed he is no longer affiliated with HTL and is now running under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) banner. He said their only misstep was approaching the Tingog Partylist for assistance after failing to receive help from Mayor Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Wilberto emphasized the lack of support for needy residents, stating that many local congresspersons had no budget to help. Consequently, they directed constituents to seek assistance from Tingog Partylist, which had the resources to help those in need.
He reiterated, "Gidala namo ang Dabawenyo didto sa Tingog Partylist para masulbad ilang problema mao nay gihimo namo para makatabang me sa isig ka tao, para matabangan namo ang Dabawenyos (We brought the Dabawenyos to Tingog Partylist to address their problems; that is how we aimed to assist our fellow citizens)," he said.
He asserted that their actions should not be misconstrued negatively and clarified his stance following HTL's recent statement. Wilberto encouraged people with significant medical expenses to seek help from Tingog, emphasizing that they assist individuals regardless of political affiliation.
He also underscored that if directing constituents to Tingog constitutes a violation, then many barangay captains under HTL should also face expulsion for issuing recommendations to the party while assisting their constituents. Wilberto noted that their shift to Lakas-CMD occurred when HTL ceased to pay attention to them.
"Klaruhon ko lang ni, wala me muhawa sa Hugpong, 2001 pako nagsugod miyembro sa Hugpong first time naku as city Councilor. Wala me muhawa, kami ang ilang gipahawa tungod lang kay kami mitabang sa mga Dabawenyo (I want to clarify: we did not leave Hugpong; I have been a member since 2001 when I first ran for city councilor. They expelled us simply for helping Dabawenyos)," he said.
On October 7, 2024, HTL issued a statement announcing the expulsion of Wilberto, Bernie, and barangay captains Lilibeth Al-ag of Toril Proper and Bernadette Al-ag of Bangkas Heights for violating Article Seven of their Party Discipline and Loss of Membership, specifically Section Six, which outlines grounds for automatic expulsion due to their involvement with Tingog Partylist. RGP
