Isko says he may include ex-DAR secretary Castriciones in Senate slate

Presidential candidate and incumbent Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Saturday said he might include former Agrarian Reform secretary John Castriciones in his senatorial ticket for Eleksyon 2022.

"Malaki ang posibilidad na 'yon (That is a huge possibility)... The next step is to talk to my fellow candidate in the party and I'll talk to Aksyon Demokratiko execomm and to the team," Moreno said during a media briefing in Intramuros.

"We will play it by ear as we progress to the campaign. 'Pag marami ang gustong sumakay sa paglalayag namin, mas maganda 'yon (If many people want to ride with us on our voyage, that's better)," the mayor added.

Moreno however said he wants to be fair to his running mate Dr. Willie Ong on the possibility of Castriciones' inclusion in their Senate slate.

"Fina-finalize pa ang lahat. Napaka-fluid ng sitwasyon (Things are being finalized yet. The situation is very fluid)," he said.

Moreno made the statement after the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee (MRRD-NECC), a volunteer group that supported the 2016 presidential bid of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, on Saturday endorsed him as their presidential candidate.

The group was led by Castriciones who stepped down as Agrarian Reform secretary then took his oath in October 2021 as a member of PDP-Laban to seek a Senate seat in the elections scheduled on May 9 this year. —KG, GMA News