After Comelec blow, Pacquiao to focus on last days of campaign

Sen. Manny Pacquiao (Senate file photo)

CEBU CITY — Seemingly unperturbed by the setback dealt by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), presidential candidate Senator Manny Pacquio on Friday said he will just focus on the last days of his campaign and leave it to his party-mate Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel to deal with the issue of the PDP-Laban leadership.

The Comelec has recognized the faction of Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi as the “true and official members” of the ruling party PDP-Laban, ruling in favor of the wing’s petition to declare the group of Pacquiao and Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as “illegitimate.”

Pacquiao also assured that members of his faction will be taken care of even amid the debacle in the PDP leadership.

“Sa ngayon nasa kalagitnaan tayo ng patapos ng pagkampanya natin at hindi yan ang iniisip natin. Hayaan na muna natin si Koko na sumagot diyan. Kung ano man ang problema, yung mga PDP members na naniniwala sa aming kakayahan ay hindi namin sila papabayaan,” he said in a chance interview here.

(Now, we’re in the middle of the last days of our campaign. Let’s just let Koko deal with it. Whatever the rule is, the PDP Laban members on our side will be taken care of.)

He said the Pacquiao-Pimentel faction will appeal the Comelec’s decision before the Supreme Court.

“Automatic mag aapela rin kami sa Supreme Court dahil ipaglaban din namin yan, yung mga members namin. At ‘yung karapatan namin na ang tama. Sa ngayon ipaubaya ko muna kay Koko yan at inaatupag namin yung patapos na kampanya,” the senator said.

He also thinks that the Comelec decision will not affect, in any way, the PDP Laban members that are on their side.

Pimentel had said that they will contest the Comelec ruling, questioning the way the polling body arrived at their decision.

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