Pimentel not worried about party defection

Those who want to leave the ruling PDP-Laban can leave.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said this on Thursday, unfazed by talks of partymates reportedly planning to leave the group after the shake up in the House of Representatives.

Pimentel is the president of PDP-Laban being chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Let them go. Why the need to check loyalty? Yung act na nga nila of leaving is already an act of disloyalty,” the senator said in an interview at the Senate when asked if there is a need for the party to conduct a loyalty check.

“We will let them go. Those who want to leave can leave. Wala po kaming magiging problema dun, at saka nakita na po naming it before kaya balewala na po ito sa amin (We don’t have any problem with that. We’ve already seen this before so it doesn’t matter to us anymore),” he said.

But the senator warned that partymates being eyed by the PDP-Laban in its senatorial slate in 2019 would be removed from the list if they decide to leave the party.

“Pagka yung minamanok namin na senatorial candidate aalis sa PDP-laban, hindi na namin siya ilalagay sa listahan…Kung meron (If those we were eyeing to include in the senatorial slate will leave the party, we will remove them from the list),” he said.

Pimentel noted though that until now, no party member has come out to confirm such report.

House Deputy Speaker Rolando Andaya Jr. earlier claimed that “quite a handful” of PDP-Laban members were “seriously considering” joining Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP), the regional party of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

READ: PDP-Laban solons plan to shift allegiance to Inday Sara’s local party

Pimentel said it is also possible that these talks about party defection were just intrigues since no defectors have been named until now.

“I have heard about that pero wala namang names so pwedeng intriga lang yan pero (but there were no names so it can just be all intrigues but) it doesn’t affect us because wala namang pinilit (no one is being forced) to join PDP so wala ring pipilitin to stay with PDP-Laban,” he said.

“Saka (Moreover) political parties are formed pursuant to our right of free association. Kung ayaw mo nang kasama ang mga PDP- Laban (If you don’t want to be affiliated with PDP-Laban anymore) you are free to go,” Pimentel stressed. /ee