Senator Robin Padilla has gone on leave as president of the Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to “focus on his duties as legislator in the 20th Congress,” the party announced Monday.
In its statement, PDP-Laban said that Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, who serves as the party’s executive vice president, will take over the presidency in line with the rule of succession outlined in the party’s constitution.
Now that the May 2025 midterm elections are over, Padilla said he will concentrate on his responsibilities as senator and “push for the party’s legislative agenda” in the upcoming 20th Congress.
“Layunin ko pong ituon ang aking atensyon sa aking tungkulin bilang senador, lalo na sa paghahanda sa pagbubukas ng 20th Congress,” the statement quoted Padilla as saying in a letter addressed to PDP Laban vice chairman Alfonso Cusi.
The chairman of PDP-Laban is former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague. He is facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the extrajudicial killings linked to his administration’s war on drugs.