Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. campaigns in Mandaluyong (Photo from his Facebook account)official facebook account
MANILA, Philippines — The PDP-Laban faction led by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III will use as ‘evidence’ against the party wing led by Energy Secretary Alfono Cusi, the latter’s endorsement of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in a pending petition before Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The faction led by Cusi filed a petition last year before the Comelec asking the poll body to declare the Pimentel faction as illegitimate.
But backing a candidate who is the “antithesis” of the party’s philosophy shows that members of the Cusi wing “do not understand a thing about this political party which they claim to lead,” said Pimentel.
“Unfortunately for them, what they did yesterday, I think we can use against them. I have talked to our lawyer to document what happened yesterday, the endorsement of a candidate who is the antithesis of the philosophy of PDP-Laban,” Pimentel said in an ANC interview.
On Tuesday, the faction led by Cusi endorsed Marcos’ presidential bid.
“So if you do that, that means you are not really a genuine member of PDP-Laban. So we will use what they did yesterday as evidence against them that they do not understand a thing about this political party which they claim to lead,” Pimentel added.
Pimentel is the son of late Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., who co-founded the party that was created to oppose the dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
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“It’s high time that the Comelec should not see the truth, the reality and then quickly dismiss their case, their petition,” Pimentel said.
‘We will resist it’
Earlier, the senator appealed to those claiming to be the legitimate PDP-Laban to just form their own party.
“This is not the first time that there is a power grab within PDP-Laban. This is probably the third or fourth time. The other incidents happened when I was still a teenager and the other ones when I was 20 years old or 30 years old, so these things happen. This is politics, people have a hidden agenda when they join your political party. We make mistakes in welcoming them to the party in good faith, for as long as I acted in good faith, I accept the consequences but we will fight,” Pimentel said.
“No one will be allowed to hijack PDP-Laban, just because you want to hijack it or offer it to somebody who is not deserving of the blood, sweat, tears, time and energy invested by genuine PDP-Laban members over 40 years. We will resist it,” he added.