Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III met with the CDPI President, Lito Lorenzana and the rest of PDP-Laban officers and members in a Fellowship dinner right after the two-day Federalism Conference organized by the PDP-Laban.

In the said conference, two members of the National Board of Advisors of CDPI, Dr. Jose V. Abueva and Chief Justice Reynato Puno (Ret.) participated as its guest speakers.

A Conference that will focus on the imperatives of pursuing a Federal Republic of the Philippines with a Parliamentary Government will ensue before President-Elect Rodrigo assumes public office this July 1.

Entitled “Pursuing Federalism: A Shift from Unitary - Presidential to Federal - Parliamentary Government”, renowned Federal advocates in the Philippines are expected to attend. Some members of the 2005 Consultative Commission for the Amendments of the 1987 Constitution Dr. Jose Abueva, Atty. Raul Lambino, Ms Carmen Pedrosa, Prof. Alex Magno, and Atty. Rita Jimeno, CDPI President Lito Monico Lorenzana and PCCI Chairman Emeritus Amb. Francis Chua have confirmed their participation in the dialogue. Speaker of the House, Hon. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez and PDP-Laban President Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, were invited to give their commentaries on the administration’s initiatives.

A high level delegation of PDP Laban leaders were sent by their President, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to Davao City to meet with the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) and the Centrist Democracy Political Institute (CDPI) Chairman Lito Lorenzana to explore the resumption of the coalition talks which was discontinued in the later part of 2015. To recall, the then Chairman of the PDP-Laban, and former South Cotabato Governor Mike Sueno, who lead the coalition talks gave way to the party chairmanship to now President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

The delegation was headed by Vice-Chairman Alfonso Cusi, Treasurer Atty Clint Aranas, Deputy Secretary General for Mindanao Benito Ranque, Vice President for NCR Engr. Salvador Ty and Abbin Dalhani, President for NCR.

With honour and pride, fifteen Fellows of the Fellowship Program of the Centrist Democracy Political Institute have been officially awarded as part of the roster of Centrist Democrat Leaders called “The 300”.