The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP)-Laban has expelled Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi as party vice chairman and Deputy Secretary General Melvin Matibag for violating the party’s constitution for showing allegiance to another political party.
Also expelled from the PDP-Laban party is its membership committee head Astra Naik, also for violating party constitution.
Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao and the PDP-Laban National Executive Committee (NEC) released three party resolutions signifying the expulsion of Cusi, Matibag and Naik.
The NEC also issued a resolution authorizing Pacquiao to create investigative committees that would probe complaints about party members who may have violated the party Constitution or may have committed acts inimical to the party's interest by showing allegiance to another political organization.
The party’s NEC also released a resolution declaring the nullity of the March 31, 2021 meeting and the scheduled July 17, 2021 assembly of the PDP Laban National Council that was called upon by Cusi and Matibag.
The three resolutions were issued in response to a manifesto signed by more than 10,000 grassroots members of the ruling political party whose chairman is President Rodrigo Duterte.
The manifesto particularly condemned the “systematic and underhanded effort by some party newcomers and a handful of party officers to sabotage the present leadership, so they may advance a political movement that is against the best interest of our beloved party.”
“Vice Chairman Cusi is already manipulating the party to support the Duterte-Duterte tandem which is a blatant admission of supporting Sara Duterte Carpio for president, who is not a member of the Party,” they stated in the resolution.
“He is guilty of having allegiance to a candidate and her political ideals and party. Such a candidate does not even believe in Federalism, her party fielded candidates against and opposed official candidates of PDP-Laban in 2019 Elections, and she is vehemently opposed to joining the PDP-Laban Party,” the resolution also stated.
With their expulsion, the NEC said “all rights and privileges of Cusi, Matibag and Naik as members of the Party and all their positions or authorities in the Party are likewise immediately terminated.”