Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel's PDP-Laban wing "strongly denounced" the call made by former President Rodrigo Duterte's faction to troop at the EDSA Shrine.
This was stated in a statement released by Pimentel's faction on its official Facebook page on Monday, Dec. 2, in response to the Duterte-led wing's post also on its official Facebook page calling on its supporters to oppose President Marcos' administration.
"Labas na! Tara na sa Edsa Shrine. Ilabas ang iyong saloobin sa panggigipit at tahasang pamumulitika ng administrasyong Marcos. Mulatin natin ang mga naka-pikit at nagbibingibingihan. Kailangan tayo ng taumbayan. Halika na't makiisa! (Go out! Let's go to Edsa Shrine. Express your thoughts on the oppression and blatant politicking of the Marcos administration. Let's open the eyes of those who are blind and pretending not to hear. The people need us. Come and unite with us!)" the post read.
Pimentel and Party President Senator Manny Pacquiao denounced the "reckless actions and inflammatory statements of the self-serving faction falsely claiming to represent our political party."
"Their call for disturbance and their misuse of the party name for selfish political moves is a betrayal of the principles upon which the PDP Laban was founded--principles of justice, peace, and the rule of law," the party said in a statement.
"We emphasize that the PDP Laban stands firmly behind the Constitution, the rule of law, and the democratically elected government. The Philippines has faced enough challenges, and the last thing our nation needs is division destabilization at the hands of those who prioritize personal agendas over the welfare of the Filipino people," it added.
Senator Robinhood Padilla, president of the Duterte-led PDP Laban faction, has yet to comment on the statement.