The Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) camp led by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Sunday said Senator Manny Pacquiao’s filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) under another political order “normal” and “in order” under the party’s constitution.
Pimentel said this after the faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi announced Pacquiao’s expulsion from the PDP-Laban after Pacquiao filed his COC under the Progressive Movement for the Devolution of Initiatives or PROMDI.
“(It’s) so easy to explain. Cusi+Matibag do not know the facts. There is a PDP-Laban, PROMDI, PCM ALLIANCE AGREEMENT called ‘MP3 Alliance’ where the alliance partners also proclaimed Sen. Manny Pacquiao as their presidential candidate,” Pimentel said in a statement.
“(The) PDP-Laban National Executive Committee in a Resolution (No. 12) allowed Sen. Manny Pacquiao to use Promdi CONA (certificate of nomination and acceptance) in order to consolidate his support base and alliance partners because Sen. Manny Pacquiao is already known and identified with PDP-Laban.
“He was officially nominated and proclaimed as presidential candidate also by PROMDI in their National Assembly. Hence, everything is normal and in order per our party constitution,” he added.
Pimentel said he believes the “issue” being propagated by Cusi’s camp is only a figment of their imagination which they want to use for their own political propaganda.
Pimentel said both Cusi and Melvin Matibag, whom the other faction elected as secretary general of PDP-Laban, “have a lot of explaining to do to their own audience.”
The senator said they held a gathering in September where they publicly nominated Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go as their candidate for President and President Duterte for vice president, yet Go publicly refused their nomination for president.
“Now, they have filed a COC with Sen. Bong Go for vice president without any formal and public nomination from their group,” he pointed out.
“What is happening to their group? Don’t they coordinate at all? Don’t they observe any formalities at all? Are they a group of people who just change their minds in an instant and then that is already the group’s decision?” Pimentel asked.
He said Cusi’s group is still pursuing their “secret agenda” by not revealing their real presidential candidate.
“Obvious na ba? Sa kahaba-haba ng prosesyon, sa secret agenda din ang ending (Isn’t it obvious yet? After a long procession, they will ending up pushing their secret agenda),” he said.
Pimentel’s faction had earlier expressed their belief the Cusi’s camp “hijacked” the ruling political party to pursue a hidden agenda, which includes supporting a presidential candidate that is an “outsider.”
He earlier said he believes the other faction intends to push through with supporting Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as the PDP-Laban’s presidential candidate. Duterte-Carpio has said she had no intention to run for president, especially if her father is already running for vice president.
However, on Saturday, Oct. 2, Duterte announced he is retiring from politics, and accompanied Go to file his COC as the PDP-Laban’s vice president.