The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) faction led by Senator Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday, Sept. 8 maintained that they are the legitimate members and representatives of the ruling political party.
In a press conference held after he ended his 10-day quarantine, Pacquiao told reporters they remain unfazed over the petition filed by the camp of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi asking the poll body to declare them illegitimate representatives of PDP-Laban.
“Hintayin natin yung decision ng Comelec, kasi naniniwala kami na kami ang lehitimo na miyembro ng PDP-Laban (Let’s wait for the Comelec’s decision, because we believe that we are the legitimate members of PDP-Laban),” Pacquiao said in a virtual press conference.
“Mahigit isang daang libong members ng PDP ang naniniwala sa akin at naka-suporta sa atin. At nandito sa atin ang lahat ng database ng Partido mula ng ito ay tinatag hanggang sa kasalukuyan (More than a thousand members of PDP believe in us and support us. We have the database of the party since it was established up to present),” the boxing icon said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, the camp of Cusi filed a petition asking the poll body “to nullify the purported assumptions” made by Pacquiao and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III that they are the official PDP-Laban party representatives.
The petition was filed a day before the PDP-Laban Cusi wing will hold a national convention together with President Duterte where they are expected to announce him and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go as the party’s official tandem in the upcoming May 2022 national elections.
Pimentel had responded to the petition saying they would go over it but maintained that there is only one PDP-Laban that is founded by his father, former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel, Jr. and which he helped grow “together with thousands of party diehards at the grassroots level.”
The PDP-Laban under Pimentel’s wing is supporting the possible presidential bid of Pacquiao in the upcoming May 2022 national elections. Pimentel's group has also repeatedly branded Cusi's group as the illegitimate party representatives.
Cusi's group ousted Pimentel as the party's executive vice chairman and Pacquiao as party president, while Pimentel's camp removed President Duterte as party chairman and Cusi from the party leadership.