Baste Duterte takes helm of PDP amid sis Sara’s 2028 presidential bid
DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has vowed to consolidate what remains of the once dominant Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), the political party that catapulted his father to the presidency in 2016, as he officially took over as president from Sen. Robinhood Padilla.
The leadership change was confirmed by the PDP national council which met in Manila on Friday and by Padilla in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, PDP vice chair, swore in Duterte before top party officials led by Padilla, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and former Budget Secretary Wendell Avisado, a close friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is the party chair.
In a statement, PDP said the oathtaking of the younger Duterte “marks a new chapter for PDP Laban as it continues to strengthen its leadership and expand its reach nationwide.”
“With Mayor Duterte at the helm, the party reaffirms its commitment to uphold its core principles and advance its mission of delivering genuine public service to the Filipino people,” it added.
The 38-year-old Davao City mayor was PDP executive vice president until he was designated acting president in June last year after Padilla went on leave to focus on his role as a legislator.
The youngest Duterte takes the helm of the party several weeks after his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, announced her intention to run for president in 2028.
Although he was elected Davao City vice mayor in last year’s midterm elections, Duterte later took over as mayor, a post won by his father. The former president has been detained since March last year at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he is facing charges of crimes against humanity over his drug war.
After his oathtaking, Mayor Duterte said that those who have remained with the party through its ups and downs have proven their loyalty to its aims and could be trusted with advancing these amid the current political climate.
‘Filtering’ process
He likened the split in PDP, which led to some members moving to other parties, as some form of “filtering” process for its membership.
The party was formed in 1984 following a merger between former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) and former Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino. In 2016, Rodrigo Duterte ran for president under PDP-Laban, making it the dominant political party during his term.
A split occurred in 2021 when Cusi, as party vice chair, engineered the selection of a nonmember to be its standard-bearer in the 2022 elections even as then Sen. Manny Pacquiao, the party president at the time, announced his intent to seek the country’s highest post.
For the 2022 national elections, the Cusi-led faction of PDP-Laban endorsed Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for president, a move opposed by Pimentel’s son, then Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, a member of the party’s national executive committee.
His father had been jailed for opposing the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
But in May 2022, the special second division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared the faction led by Rodrigo Duterte and Cusi as the “true and official” members of the party. Voting 2-1, the Comelec granted the petition filed by the Cusi wing in August 2021 to declare as illegitimate the Pimentel-led group.
Legitimate faction
In March 2023, the Comelec issued a certificate of finality on its January 2023 ruling recognizing the Cusi faction as the official party. The certificate of finality was based on its en banc resolution that identified the Duterte-chaired PDP-Laban as the legitimate party.
On April 19, 2024, during the celebration of the party’s anniversary, the Duterte-Cusi wing decided to officially drop the second part of its name—Laban—during a meeting among members in Cebu City.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court officially recognized Cusi and Melvin Matibag as the legitimate leaders of the political party, ending the internal leadership row.
In a 25-page decision in G.R. No. 265395, the high tribunal en banc dismissed the petition filed by Pimentel and Pacquiao that challenged the Comelec’s recognition of the Cusi-led group in 2022. —WITH REPORTS FROM MAILA AGER, RYAN D. ROSAURO, Chris V. Panganiban AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
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