Second district Rep. Maria Vanessa Aumentado has reportedly joined the party of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio which is Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), several reports say.
Aumentado is joined by Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda and Isabela 3rd district Rep. Ian Dy in the exodus to Duterte-Carpio’s party.
They took their oaths as new members of the party before Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez on July 14, 2022 in Manila, reports add.
“We welcome our new members. We are delighted by their decision to join us. We look forward to a productive engagement with them and the rest of our membership. [The expansion] will strengthen support in Congress for the legislative and unity agenda of President Bongbong Marcos,” Romualdez said during the oathtaking ceremonies.
Lakas-CMD is the party that backed the candidacy of Duterte-Carpio and is the party of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Moreover, Rep. Maria Vanessa Aumentado, ran under the People’s Reform Party, which was founded by the late Sen. Mirriam Defensor-Santiago, during the previous elections.
Maria Vanessa’s husband, now Gov. Erico Aristole “Aris” Aumentado, ran under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
With the entry of Salceda, Dy and Maria Vanessa Aumentado into the fold of Lakas-CMD, there are now 60 party members in the 19th Congress at the House of the Representatives.