Pimentel twits Cusi for PDP-Laban mess

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III on Saturday said the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction he leads would accept back former members who were “misled” by the wing led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

“They will have to convey their intention to return, and we will subject it to a process. But this ‘Balik PDP-Laban’ program is only for those who were misled, but for those power grabbers, they are no longer welcome,” he said, referring to the leaders of the Cusi wing.

Pimentel, son of the late Aquilino Pimentel Jr. who co-founded the party in 1982, said he understood the dismay of local leaders who filed their candidacies under the PDP-Laban standard, only to be left without a standard-bearer.

“Imagine all the drama that they staged—the supposed formal gatherings to announce the nominations for president and vice president, which then led to the filing [of candidacies], but only to be hit by one withdrawal after another. All that evaporated,” he said in a radio interview.

Pimentel said the Cusi wing owed “an explanation to the candidates they have endorsed why their group is headless because we know that politicians always consider [who is the standard-bearer] before joining a party.”

Pimentel mocked the kind of political leadership that resulted in a “ruling party” ending up with no candidate for president or vice president.

In September, the Cusi wing drafted Sen. Christopher Go and President Duterte as its presidential and vice presidential candidates.

But Go filed his candidacy for vice president with Sen. Ronald dela Rosa running for president.

But Dela Rosa withdrew his candidacy and Go filed his candidacy for president under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan, only to again announce his withdrawal on Nov. 30.

Pimentel said that by filing his candidacy under another party, Go effectively left the PDP-Laban and the deadline for changes in his certificate of candidacy has already passed.

“Let’s bear in mind that the withdrawal was only through a spoken announcement. As a lawyer, I know there has to be a procedure that must be followed so that the withdrawal will be official,” Pimentel said.

He urged Go to show his good faith in his intention to withdraw and stop confusing voters.

“Let’s help the [Commission on Elections] in decluttering the ballot. We must all show good faith so that it can get rid of the candidates who really do not have any genuine intent to run in the elections,” Pimentel said.