Hopes of healing PDP-Laban fade

THE prospects of healing the rift between factions in the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to prop up the chances of the party’s candidates in the 2022 elections appear to be fading.

The camp led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has rejected the offer of Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao for a dialogue to reunite the ruling party.

Pacquiao, whose candidacy for president is being backed by the rival wing, made the offer on Thursday after Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.

Pacquaio said he welcomes unification talks with the rival faction on condition that Cusi is ousted as its head.

PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag, who supports the Cusi faction, said Pacquiao’s statement

“is clearly misplaced and not properly thought out.”

Matibag said Cusi was elected party president under the auspices of President Rodrigo Duterte, the party chairman.

“Secretary Cusi remains as the President of the PDP Laban. He was placed there in an election presided and witnessed by President Rodrigo Duterte as Chairman of the Party,” Matibag said in a statement.

He suggested that Pacquiao “focus on the strength of his candidacy than trying to pick a fight with a non-candidate.”

In a press conference in General Santos City on Thursday, Pacquiao said he was looking forward to reunification especially after Go quit the presidential derby.

“What I want is to unite the PDP. Hindi dapat kami magkakaiba ng adbokasiya (We should have a common advocacy within the party),” he said.

“Si Cusi tatanggalin natin siya kasi nadadamay ang iba. My problema tayo sa energy pero puro siya pulitika. Maghanap ka ng paraan para masolusyon sana ang mga problema at mapababa ang presyo ng kuryente hindi iyong puro ka pulitika (We have to remove Cusi because other members are affected. We have a problem on energy and he doesn’t act on it because he is focused on politics. He has to find ways to address the problem and lower the power rate instead of dabbling in politics),” he added.

Go, who is identified with the Cusi wing, initially signed up as a vice presidential bet, but he later registered as a presidential aspirant under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan.

On Tuesday, Go said he changed his mind about running for president because he and his family never really aspired for him to seek the country’s highest post.

Duterte and Go met with Pacquiao on November 9 in Malacañang. The meeting was about “a renewal of friendship.”

The PDP-Laban now finds itself without a standard-bearer and a running mate, and many of its members want to know if Duterte will endorse a presidential candidate.

But acting Palace spokesman and Karlo Alexei Nograles said during a briefing Friday that the party’s national council must give its nod before Duterte could make any endorsement.

“If there are any decisions to be made, kailangan din po naming idaan sa national council at sa mga miyembro and other officers of PDPLaban. Abangan na lang po natin (we need to course that through the national council and the members and other officers of PDP-Laban. Let’s just wait and see),” Nograles said.

At a public event at the Zamboanga Peninsula Thursday night, the President told Go he “has made a lot of people happy than sad” with his decision to abort his presidential aspirations because “it’s about family”.

Nograles, who is the executive vice president of PDP-Laban’s Cusi faction, said earlier this week that the party is considering adopting another standard-bearer following Go’s withdrawal.