Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Senator Manny Pacquiao. FILE PHOTOS / INQUIRER / SENATE PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Manny Pacquiao on Saturday said Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi who is leading a faction of the PDP-Laban party is eyeing the executive secretary position should their group’s bet wins the presidential race next year.
Pacquiao said this was the reason why Cusi wanted to become president of the PDP-Laban party.
“Sabihin ko na lang sa inyo, ito ang plano ni Cusi. Maging presidente ng partido, para i-package deal niya doon sa inaakala nilang magiging presidente na, susunod, mai-package niya, at makakuha siya ng highest position,” Pacquiao said over DWIZ.
(Let me tell you that this is Cusi’s plan. To become the president of the party, so he could set this as a package deal to those who they think will be the president so that he could get the highest position.)
“In fact, ang target niya is maging executive secretary siya,” Pacquiao added. (In fact, his target is to become the executive secretary.)
INQUIRER.net tried to reach Cusi for comment, but he is yet to respond as of posting.
“Diba nakakasuka kapag ganoon ang mga tao,” Pacquiao continued. “Nakakasuka yung mga ganyang may vested interest, hindi para sa bayan, hindi para sa tao, kundi para sa sariling kapakanan.”
(It is nauseating. It’s nauseating when someone has a vested interest that is neither for the country nor for the people, but for his own.)
Both Pacquiao and Cusi serve as respective presidents of now two factions of the PDP-Laban party.
Recently, the Pacquiao led-wing of PDP-Laban ousted President Rodrigo Duterte as party chair and replaced him with Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
Cusi, however, insists that Duterte remains the leader of the party.
The PDP-Laban wing led by Duterte and Cusi is pushing for the presidential bid of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go with Duterte as his running mate.
The wing led by Pacquiao and Pimentel is meanwhile pushing for the presidential bid of Pacquiao.