Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Tuesday dismissed as only "an election message" presidential aspirant former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s call for unity and said it would be impossible, considering Marcos Sr.'s oppressive government.
"Yung unity kasi is clearly an election message because pag magkasama tayong lahat, walang problema na hindi natin pwedeng talunin o solusyunan (Unity is clearly an election message only, because if you unite, of course there would be no problem that we cannot fight and solve), that is true for Filipino people, that is true for all the nations," he said in an ANC interview.
Pimentel does not believe that Marcos Jr.'s call for unity is new because "it was true even in the past."
"So it is just a campaign message," he added.
Pimentel, who heads one faction of the PDP-Laban is supporting Sen. Manny Pacquiao as its own presidential bet in the upcoming elections. According to the son of former Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr., one of the founders of the ruling political party, it could also be impossible for Marcos Jr. to pitch for unity, considering how his father, former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., showed "oppression" on "civil liberties."
"Ang Marcos family kasi (the Marcos family was like), when Ferdinand Marcos led the country for 20 plus years, ano ang nakita natin doon (What did we see then). Cronyism. Cronyism is the antithesis of inclusive economy." he said.
"There cannot be unity marked by cronyism," he added. "There cannot be unity with oppression and abuse of power."
Pimentel, who still has three more years in the Senate, said that he might join the minority if Marcos Jr. wins in the upcoming elections.
"So there will be some checks, there should always be some checks on the Marcos presidency," he said.
But if he becomes part of the majority, he added, he will "have to categorically state to my colleagues that I will be a critical majority."
"They should allow me to speak my mind as a mechanism to check those in power," he said.