The Special Second Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruled in favor of the faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi recognizing them as true and official members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) party.
Both the camps of Cusi and Sen. presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao, claim to be the legitimate leaders of the political party, each submitting a Sworn Information Update Statement (SIUS) with the Comelec for the May 2022 polls.
The SIUS is a requirement of the Comelec to every registered political party containing the full name of the party, headquarters address, list of current officials, list of elected members, and list of members, among others.
In the resolution released on Friday, May 6, Commissioner George Garcia explained that it became a special division since a special member was appointed to break the tie in the person of Commissioner Socorro Inting. He says voting in the regular division was 1-1-1 and as he inhibited. He said that Inting sided with Commissioner Rey Bulay.
"The original ponencia of comm marlon was lost. He became the dissenter of the new majority decision," he added.
In the resolution, the Special Second Division stated that the National Council Meeting attended by the petitioners on May 31, 2021 was valid. They disagreed that the said meeting should be void because it was improperly called; the agenda for it was not fixed in coordination with the President; and despite his presence, the chairman did not preside over the meeting.
They also stated that the acts done during the meeting and the subsequent acts done pursuant to the said meeting are valid.
In Commissioner Marlon Casquejo's dissenting opinion, he said that the May 31 meeting, all its predicate resolutions, as well as prior and subsequent acts done pursuant thereto; and the July 17 National Assembly, all its predicate resolutions, as well as prior and subsequent acts should be declared void.
"As a result, all National Council members, the National Officers, the National Committee Chairs, and all other officers of the PDP LABAN Party must therefore be reinstituted as per the SIUS filed before this Commission on 17 November 2020," he said.
There, he listed Sen. Koko Pimentel as the president of the party and Pacquiao as the Executive Vice President.
The official members of PDP-Laban are as follows:
- Chairman: Rodrigo Roa Duterte
- President: Alfonso G. Cusi
- Executive Vice President: Karlo Alexei Nograles
- Vice President for NCR: Edwin Olivarez
- Vice President for Luzon: Raul Lambino
- Vice President for Visayas: Ben Evardone
- Vice President for Mindanao: Charito Plaza
- Secretary-General: Melvin Matibag
- National Treasurer: Rianne Cuevas
- Auditor General: Christopher Lawrence Go
- Membership Committee: Astravel Pimentel-Naik
- Education Committee: Noel Felongco
- Finance Committee: Antonio Kho
- Legal Affairs & Arbitration Committee: Richard Nethercott
- Public Information Committee: Jonathan Malaya
- Livelihood Committee: Reymar Mansilungan
- Youth Affairs Committee: Maria Katrina Nicole Contacto
Comelec recently declared PDP-Laban as the dominant majority party and the Nacionalista Party (NP) as the dominant minority party for the upcoming May 2022 polls.
Under the law, it is stated the Comelec shall determine the dominant majority party, dominant minority party, and 10 major political parties which shall be entitled to one official watcher in every polling place and canvassing center.
The poll body shall also furnish the dominant majority party and dominant minority party with copies of the election returns and certificates of canvass. With this new development, Cusi's watchers will be entitled to this.