 He had to slightly minimize these after Cordero's untimely death from a stroke.After years of ambiguously identifying with the PPD as a movement instead of a political ideology, Epifanio's character sided with the "soberanista" faction, which in the past had included prominent Ponce Mayor, Rafael "Churumba" Cordero.This wing is considered the party's most liberal one, pursuing to promote Puerto Rico beyond territory status by replacing the current territorial clause with a pact based on the sovereignty of both Puerto Rico and the United States, while conserving some current aspects including citizenship, coin and defense.