Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Screen grab/Senate PRIB file photo
MANILA, Philippines—Being forced out of the PDP-Laban that he has served for over 30 years is “very painful,” according to Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
Pimentel poured his heart out as he talked about the worsening rift within the PDP-Laban, which was founded by his own father, the late Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.
“Nakakalungkot hindi lang dahil tinatag ito ni Tatay Nene, tatay ko. E ako mismo ang serbisyo ko sa partido, mga 30 plus years, 35 years na akong naninilbihan dyan sa partido so napakasakit na ginanito kami ng mga sumali five years ago,” Pimentel said over Teleradyo Monday night.
(It’s just sad because it was founded by my father Nene. I, myself, serve the party for about 30 plus years, I’ve been serving the party for 35 years so it’s very painful that we are being treated like this by those who just joined five years ago.)
“Yung iba dyan hindi pa nakikita yung party headquarters namin, ngayon sila na ngayon ang party president or mga sikat sa partido. They have not even visited our very modest party headquarters, ni hindi nila alam ano ang hitsura,” he said.
(Some of them have not even seen our headquarters, now they are the party president or popular in the party. They have not even visited our very modest party headquarters.)
President Rodrigo Duterte himself, who serves as party chairman, administered the oath-taking of new set of officers of PDP-Laban during its national assembly in Pampanga over the weekend.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi was elected new party president, replacing Senator Manny Pacquiao.
But Pimentel insisted that the assembly was unauthorized as he vowed to assert the legitimacy of his group and Pacquiao when the issue is brought before the proper venue.
“I’m not a turncoat,” he later said. “Hindi ako palipat-lipat ng partido and then anong gusto nila ako ngayon ay mapwersa nilang tumalon palabas ng partido ko which I have served for 30 plus years? Imagine mo yun?”
(I do not do party hopping and now they are forcing me out of my party which I have served for 30 plus years? Imagine that?)