Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Takot ma-kudeta? Pacquiao asks PDP members to ignore calls for national assembly amid alleged party rift

The alleged rift between opposing factions inside the ruling PDP-Laban has somehow reached another level as Senator Manny Pacquiao urged his partymates to ignore those calling to convene the ruling party’s national assembly.

In a document obtained by Politiko, Pacquiao, the interim president of PDP, issued a memorandum circular dated May 25, 2021, stating that members of President Rodrigo Duterte’s political entity “are strongly advised to ignore the letter” of its party vice chair, Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi.

Cusi’s letter earlier has indicated calls to convene the PDP’s national assembly this coming May 31 which is expected to be a showdown between those loyal to President Duterte and those who are supporting the potential presidential bid of Pacquiao in the upcoming 2022 polls.

Pacquiao reiterated his previous statement in the latest circular that “this is not the time for politics” and members of the party should instead help the country which is currently being ravaged by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The memorandum circular was reportedly disseminated to several top honchos and provincial chapter leaders of the ruling party through Sen. Koko Pimentel’s deputy chief-of-staff Ronwald Munsayac. Munsayac is also the current executive director of PDP.

According to Pacquiao, Cusi’s plan to hold a national convention “is not sanctioned by Authorized National Council officials and violates Section 4 and Section5, Article XVI” of the PDP-Laban Constitution.

The eight-division boxing champion stressed that “any call for a national council, assembly, or meeting must be approved by both the Chairman, and President” of the ruling party only.

President Duterte is the national chairman of PDP since 2015.

Pacquiao’s designation as the party’s acting president back in December 2020 was put in question since he allegedly lacks mandate among its members.

Pacquiao was never elected in that 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.

Many PDP members in the grassroots level reportedly got irked by Pimentel’s decision in appointing Pacquiao as the party’s interim president, which put the latter’s mandate within the political entity in question.

Under the governing laws of PDP, a party convention is needed to determine the leaders of the political force being chaired by Duterte.

An insider within Mr. Duterte’s party earlier told Politiko that PDP is facing a potential political schism ahead of the 2022 presidential elections.

The party 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. (CRD)