I WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019

0tso debacle prompts LP leaders

to resign; Robredo disagrees
By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon their resignation.
Ramos-Araneta "The Vice President has not accepted
[their]...resignations. Much work re-
LIBERAL Party president Senator mains to be done, and they will do it,
Francis Pangilinan and secretary gpn- together." Robredo's spokesman Barry
eral Quezon City Rep. Jose Christopher Gulierrez said in a statement.
Belmonte resigned Tuesday to take re- The LP-led Otso Direiso opposition
sponsibility for the party's losses in the slate was shut out ofthe winner's circle
the May
, midterm elections, but LP chairman, .in the senatorial races during
Vice President Leni Robredo, rejected Nert Poge

Otso...
Frcm A7
13 elections.
Rep. Edcel I-agman of Albay, an LP
member. confirmed the resignation
of the two party officials but played
it down. it saying, "lt was a courtesy
resignation as an aftermath of [hE elec-
tion."
Lagman and Belmonte are among
few the LP members who won seats in
the next C6ngress.
Defeated Otso Diretso candidate and
Rep. Gary Alejaao said "despite the dis-
mal electoral outcome," he did not at-
.
tribute the loss to a failure ofleadership
in managing the campaign.
"The LP membership from the bot-
tom, including our cadre ofvolunteers,
continues lo maintain our confidence in
Senator Pangilinan's leading our party
in these difficult times."
Belmonte, meanwhile, warned of a
"tyranny ofthe supermajority" as Pres-
ident Rodrigo Duterte's allies won seats
in droves.
Belmonte vowed to oppose the super-
majority tooth and nail.
"There may be few of us but right
or wrong cannot be determined by the
raising ofhands," he said.
As campaign manager far the Otso
Diretso slate, .Pangilinan said he was
unable to ensure their victory in the last
elections.
The Otso Diretso candidates were
Aquino, human rights lawyer Chel Dio-
kno, former solicitor general Florin Hil-
bay, former Quezon Rep. Erin Tanada,
election lawyer Romulo Makalintal,
outgoing Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano
and former Interior and Local Govern-
ment Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

* +&oalr PAw o