PDP-Laban’s logo from its official Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines — The seeming rift among members of President Duterte’s political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) appeared to widen further on Monday as a party member questioned the conduct of a national party assembly.
Less than an hour into the national assembly of PDP-Laban, House Deputy Speaker and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves questioned the conduct of the event and immediately moved for its adjournment — but to no avail.
As PDP-Laban vice-chairman Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi was delivering his opening statement, Teves, a party member who is attending the event online, can be heard raising a point of order but was not immediately recognized.
Once recognized, Teves said that he has been raising a point of order for a while but was being “muted.”
“I feel very disappointed, even angered, and I feel taken for granted for being bypassed because Article 16 Section 6 [of the PDP-Laban rules] says that the secretary general shall [be] served a written notice. I am the SecGen of the PDP-Laban Party,” Teves said.
“Buhay pa ako, hindi naman ako incapacitated, hindi ko maintindihan bakit hindi ako ang pinapirma sa sulat kundi ang kaibigan nating si Melvin [Matibag],” he added.
Further, citing PDP-Laban rules, Teves pointed out that the party should have coordinated the agenda of the national assembly to Senator Manny Pacquiao, who is the president of the party.
“I don’t think there was prior coordination with the president of the party,” Teves said, as he moved for the adjournment of the meeting.
Teves’ motion was immediately objected.
Tables turned?
Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone, who serves as the moderator of the national assembly, said that the rules of the party states that the party’s national chairman—in this case, President Rodrigo Duterte—can call for a national council meeting.
“The national chairman has authorized the vice chairman to call for this meeting and for that reason, I think this national council meeting is in order,” Evardone said.
PDP-Laban VP for external affairs Raul Lambino, meanwhile, explained that it is only the national assembly that can elect national party officers—including the secretary general post.
“Since the resignation of then Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as the secretary general of the party, that position has remained vacant. The only authority that can appoint or elect party national officials would be the national assembly,” Lambino said.
“That position remains vacant up to now, and given the fact that Deputy Secretary General Melvin Matibag is now the current deputy Secretary General with his appointment duly signed as of 2016, then Deputy Secretary General Matibag is the one recognized to continue functioning as Secretary General of the party, absent the election of a Secretary General,” he added.
Teves no longer responded to this assertion.
In the end, Matibag was formally elected as the interim secretary general of PDP-Laban.