The Manila Times

Pimentel’s ‘underhanded tactics’ hit amid party row

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

THE surviving group of “original” members of the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) hit Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd’s “underhand tactics” amid unresolved issues hounding the ruling party.

The group led by Rogelio Garcia issued the statement as it addressed the “current hostilities” between Sen. Emmanuel

“Manny” Pacquiao, PDP-Laban acting national president, and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, vice chairman, which according to them, was “viewed by the citizens based on the opposing camps’ respective perspective.”

“The proper perspective, however, can be assessed by delving into and appreciating the meaningful interrelationship between the principles of the Party and the personal goals of the politicians or individuals, having control of the party,” it said in a statement.

The camp of Garcia, a party stalwart and President Rodrigo Duterte’s former classmate, explained that PDP-Laban was a marriage of two groups — Partido Demokratiko Pilipino and Lakas ng Bayan or Laban.

Laban was formed by former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., while PDP was organized by the late senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., “both of whom are Marcos haters,” according to the group.

“By chance therefore, PDPLaban, has ‘yellow’ origins. But the current pungent meaning of ‘yellow’ is not included in the equation,” it said.

This came after Pimentel expressed worries over a possible “secret agenda” being pursued by new members in the ruling party.

The senator raised concerns over the “premature” holding of meetings, noting that the May 31 national council meeting called by Cusi was “unauthorized and unlawful.”

“The question is, is there a secret agenda? What is the secret agenda? For all of us who have been with the party for decades already, we have invested our blood, sweat, and tears with this party, we are worried about the secret agenda, and we will not allow such a secret agenda to prevail,” Pimentel said in an earlier interview on ABSCBN News Channel.

But Garcia’s camp said longstanding members of the PDPLaban would not allow Pimentel’s “underhanded tactics” to the party.

“There is a surviving group of ‘original’ PDP-Laban resilient members, unceasingly defending the principles of the Party, scornful of the underhand tactics of Koko Pimentel and his choice candidate, Manny Pacquiao, who doesn’t seem to understand the complex of ‘Political Party Management,’ on one hand, and on the other, reluctantly in support, with caveat, of Al Cusi’s barely adequate handling of the Party,” the group said.

“To the originals, Al Cusi is either credulous, too gullible to understand the scheme of Koko Pimentel, or that he is inadequate and incapable of Party management,” it added.

Before Duterte became president, the group claimed that PDPLaban “was moribund.”

“How it became the ruling party was, by fate, caused by Section 77 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), providing that a withdrawn candidate may be substituted by a party-mate, nominated by the said party,” Garcia’s group said.

“Martin ‘Bobot’ Diño, filed his CoC (certificate of candidacy) for president, on orders of Koko Pimentel, later on withdrew his CoC and was substituted by Mayor Duterte, and the rest is history. Thus, admittedly, Koko Pimentel, had a hand in the making of a PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte), but it is not license for him (Pimentel) to abuse the Party, disregard its Constitution, for his own selfish end,” it added.

The group also said that all appointed chairmen of the party’s National Committees, except for two, “are either staff of Koko Pimentel in the Senate or beholden to him.”

“When Koko Pimentel was elected Senate president in July 2016, up to the present, he vehemently objected to the call for the Party National Assembly, provided in its Constitution, because he did not want his people to be replaced as chairmen of the National Committees in a National Assembly,” they said.

Garcia’s group also claimed that the rift between Pacquiao and Cusi was triggered by the indirect support of the latter, to the possible candidacy of Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go for president.

“It will be recalled that Sen. BG (Go), jokingly declared that the only time he will decide to run for President, is if PRRD, will be his running mate. So, when the group of Cusi, adopted a resolution urging PRRD to run for VP, Pacquiao took it as a direct affront against him and ‘all hell broke loose,’” the group said.

“At the instance of one of Koko Pimentel’s wards, [Undersecretary] Astravel Pimentel Naik, who is now in the camp of Cusi, the group of Cusi, refuses to acknowledge the ‘originals,’ who were unceremoniously (illegally) ousted from the Party in 2018, by Naik, upon the instructions of Koko Pimentel, because the ‘originals,’ since 2017, were demanding for the National Assembly, to take place, to elect the Party officials in consonance with its Constitution,” it added.

The group also noted that the manner by which the National Assembly set on July 17, 2021, was called “is defective, for non-compliance with certain provisions of the PDP-Laban Constitution.”“Because of the said deficiencies, Koko Pimentel, will have the opportunity to question the proceedings and since the signature of PRRD in a resolution calling for the National Assembly, to take place, will not cure the constitutional defects in the ‘call,’ there is a great probability that a status quo, will be declared by the Comelec (Commission on Elections), in which event, Manny Pacquiao, will remain as acting president, the ruling party, PDP-Laban, will end up nominating him as the candidate for president in 2022, with or without the endorsement of PRRD,” the group said.

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2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

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