What is happening to PDP-Laban?

Maybe it was due to weak leadership or because too many big chiefs wanted to dominate over the little Indians, that the party that launched the presidency of then mayor Digong Duterte is now gradually crumbling like a house of cards. Maybe it was because of the low-key, distant, and overconfident leadership of Koko Pimentel, or the recklessness, imprudence, and the lack of due diligence of Bebot Alvarez, that PDP-Laban is now disintegrating, being challenged by a ragtag group of unknown forces. This faction denounced the Pimentel-Alvarez leadership and elected new officers composed of completely unknown entities, except Bong Go, who did not even know he was chosen party auditor.

To understand this phenomenon, we need to remember recent political history. PDP-Laban was an arranged political marriage between Luzon's Laban (Lakas Ng Bayan) of Ninoy Aquino, Rene Saguisag, Joker Arroyo, Jojo Binay, and Bobet Sanchez, who all opposed the Martial Law regime, and the Partido Democratico Pilipino from the Visayas and Mindanao. PDP was created by Nene Pimentel. It was launched here in Cebu and became the umbrella organization that fought against Marcos. These two parties can be credited for the victory of both Cory Aquino and President Rodrigo Duterte, now PDP-Laban national chairman.

The disgruntled members of PDP-Laban started to be dissatisfied when the party allowed the national party president Koko Pimentel to be ousted from the senate presidency without opposition. The new senate president, Vicente Sotto III is a member of NPC which used to be led by businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco. After that, Alvarez was removed unceremoniously on the day of Duterte's third SONA, and replaced by a pillar of LAKAS-NUCD, former president GMA. This was exacerbated by the launching of Inday Sara's regional party, the Hugpong sa Pagbabago. Thus, disgruntled members of the party took the matters into their own hands and grabbed the leadership of the party.

My own theory is that Koko Pimentel’s ouster, Alvarez’s removal, and Hugpong’s launching  are all part of a plan to really dismantle PDP-Laban and install Hugpong as the new KBL, that will serve as the administration's new coalition party to support federalization, push for the success of the Bangsamoro, and ensure Duterte finishes his term even with the combined opposition of the human rights groups, the yellow army of the Aquinos and the Roxases, and the critics from the church, NGOs, civil society, and CPP/NPA/NDF. With the Marcoses, Villars, GMA, and the NPC in Hugpong, it shall become a huge force to reckon with.

The 2019 elections will then be a great confrontation between Hugpong and all ragtag opposition groups. If they do not unite, they shall then be eaten alive just like how the KBL pulverized all of them in the ‘70s. History seems to be repeating itself again. I hope I am really wrong.