Lame duck party president? Cusi defies Pacquiao as PDP national assembly pushes through on Monday

Divisions within the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) continue to deepen as Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi will proceed in convening the national assembly of President Rodrigo Duterte’s political party despite opposition from its party president, Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

In an advisory sent by Cusi, PDP vice chairman to several honchos of the ruling party dated May 28 which was obtained by Politiko, it said that “the National Council Meeting duly called in compliance with the provisions of the Party Constitution will push through as scheduled.

The PDP’s national assembly is supposedly scheduled on Monday, May 31 in Cebu City despite the disapproval of Pacquiao, who earlier “strongly advised” his party mates to ignore an earlier letter from Cusi for them to convene the ruling party’s national convention.

Pacquiao’s camp through Sen. Koko Pimentel’s deputy-chief-off staff Ronwald Munsayac who is also the PDP executive director claimed that Cusi has no authority to convene the national council or hold a national assembly since it needs to be approved by both the chairman and president” of the party.

President Duterte has chaired PDP since 2015 while Pacquiao was appointed as interim president of the ruling party back in December 2020.

Pacquiao’s camp added that “this is not the time for politics” and the ruling party should instead “help our countrymen ravaged by the pandemic.”

But in latest statement, Cusi said the Circular 01-2021 issued by Pacquiao “is erroneous” and has “no legal basis,” explaining that dissuading party members from attending “has no legal basis since the Constitution is clear that the Party Chairman (Mr. Duterte) has the sole authority to call meetings of the National Council.”

The PDP National Council according to Cusi is composed of all the national officers, presidents and secretaries-general of all regional councils, all national committee chairmen, and party members who are President of the Republic, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, cabinet members, provincial governors and mayors of highly urbanized and independent cities.

Cusi also reminded Pacquiao and Munsayac that President Duterte being the party chairman “has the sole power to call the meetings of the National Council and he has exercised this authority to call this particular meeting,” citing Section 4, Article XVI of the PDP Constitution.

He explained that the holding of the National Council Assembly reflects one of the basic principles upon which PDP Laban is founded which is “consultative and participatory democracy”. “We wish to reiterate that the assembly is part and parcel of the democratic process in PDP Laban,” he said.

Pacquiao’s rise in the ruling party’s leadership as its acting president last year was put in question since he allegedly lacks mandate among its members.

The General Santos City native was never elected in that said party position and was only appointed as interim PDP president by his predecessor, Pimentel, in a ceremony held in Las Casas Filipinas Acuzar in Quezon City on December 2, 2020 and he is allegedly holding his position in ‘acting capacity’ only.

Politiko earlier learned that Mr. Duterte’s political entity is facing a potential political schism ahead of the upcoming 2022 Presidential Elections.

PDP members are reportedly divided between Pro-Duterte forces led by Cusi who are pushing either Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go or Presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte for the country’s presidency, and those who are supporting Pacquiao’s possible presidential bid—which reportedly include Pimentel.

Cusi stressed that holding of the National Assembly reflects one of the basic principles upon which PDP Laban is founded which is “consultative and participatory democracy”.

“We wish to reiterate that the assembly is part and parcel of the democratic process in PDP Laban,” he said. (CRD)

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)