SEN. Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday said the ruling party PDP-Laban will cleanse its membership right after the May elections in a bid to rebuild the organization.
“After this election, I promised my members who are still with me now in the PDP-Laban, together with Sen. (Emmanuel) Pacquiao, there will be cleansing of PDP-Laban. If it will be reduced to a small number, so be it,” Pimentel told ANC.
His statement came after the other faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi endorsed the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Pimentel on Tuesday said the party was established by his father, the late senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., “to oppose the Marcos dictatorship.”
Pimentel said members who do not adhere to the party’s basic principles will be booted out.
“We will have to rebuild the party. This time we will be looking for people, members who really believe in the five basic principles (of the party) and the objective of federalism and not join the party just because of the upcoming elections,” he said.
Cusi on Tuesday also hinted of a cleansing, saying the PDP’s membership committee will review the membership of individuals who have made endorsements.
Several politicians joined the PDP-Laban in 2016 after then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte decided to run for president under the party as a substitute candidate. Since then, the party membership ballooned.
Pimentel said the party split into two factions because of Cusi.
“It’s related to the (2022) presidential election. Secretary Cusi wanted to appear to be the person who will bring a bulk of votes to his chosen presidential candidate. Why? When it (Cusi’s chosen candidate) wins hopefully you (Cusi) will be remembered,” Pimentel said.
“Because of the gimmicks of Secretary Cusi, he really wanted to bring the party to an outsider. That was the root cause of our difference,” he added.
With the split of the ruling PDP-Laban, Pimentel admitted he is no longer a “personal ally” of the President “because we don’t talk anymore.”
The Cusi faction has also endorsed Marcos’ running mate, presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio.
President Duterte has not said who he is supporting. He earlier said he would not endorse a presidential candidate unless necessary. The Cusi faction had Senators Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa as standard bearers but both withdrew.
Pacquiao is running for president but under the PROMDI party.
Manila Mayor and Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso is still hoping to get the President’s endorsement.
He said the endorsement of Marcos by the Cusi faction only motivates him to reach out directly to the people in as many places as possible before the elections.
“The most important endorsement of all is the endorsement of ordinary Filipinos,” he said, adding he will just leave it to the people to judge for themselves the move of the PDP-Laban to endorse Marcos Jr. despite the party being formed to fight the Marcos dictatorship.
An official of the Cusi faction, Melvin Matibag, said if the sole purpose of PDP-Laban is to oppose dictatorship, it should not be existing now because the country is not under a dictatorship.
“Is it not good that the PDP-Laban and the Marcoses you fought before are now together? It means they embraced the principles of the party,” Matibag said in Filipino adding the Marcoses and the PDP worked together in 2019 when Pimentel ran alongside now Sen. Imee Marcos, Bongbong’s sister..
Matibag said Pimentel should not have “double standard.”
He reiterated that Marcos Jr was chosen because the majority of the Cusi faction members support Marcos Jr, and his platform includes continuing President Duterte’s programs.
The President’s political adviser, Jacinto Paras, urged him to endorse Marcos.
He also said Robredo is backed by the “left.”
“I predict, if Leni wins, which is not likely, but she’s inching in in her campaign, if by any chance the enemy of the President would win, especially she is supported by the leftists, by the Reds, and also people like Trillanes and Hontiveros who are very adverse to the President, I’m sure they will be pushing and pushing for this,” he said in mixed Filipino and English. — With Ashzel Hachero and Jocelyn Montemayor
