The PDP Laban’s National Executive Committee, led by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, has ousted Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi as party vice chairman, along with two others, for supporting the candidacy of Davao Mayor Sara Duterte for president in 2022, even though she is not a party member and had fielded bets against it in the past.
In a resolution dated July 3, the PDP Laban NEC declared Cusi, Ms. Astra Naik and Atty. Melvin Matibag as “immediately and automatically expelled from PDP in accordance” with the party constitution.
The ouster move deepens the rift within the party, born in Mindanao during the Marcos dictatorship and which clinched its first party member-president in 2016 when then-Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte was fielded as candidate.
Duterte has lately attacked Pacquiao, who has solid backing from Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, son of party founder, the late Senate President Aquilino.
The PDP Laban’s NEC resolution said “all rights and privileges of Cusi, Naik and Matibag as members of the party and all their positions or authorities in the party are likewise immediately terminated.”
The NEC also declared that the National Assembly scheduled July 17 and called by Cusi, Naik and Matibag, incljuding all notices of that meeting, “are likewise unauthorized and void for being in violation of the PDP Laban Constitution.”
It resolved as well that “all acts and resolution related to or incidental to, or derived from the aforementioned acts including but not limited to the meeting held on May 31 are declared void and without any effect.” The May 31 meeting was called by Cusi — with Duterte’s blessing — over the objections of Pimentel and Pacquiao, who called it unauthorized and snubbed it.
The NEC directed all party members “to cease and desist from following, supporting or givinglegitimacy to any directive, resolution, notices, communications or actions” of Cusi, Naik and Matibag “related to or derived and resulting from aforementioned acts in the meeting held on May 31.”
The resolution was signed by Pacquiao as national president; Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Teves, acting secretary general of the party; Evan Rebadulla, treasurer; Ronwaldo Munsayac, executive director of the public information committee; Rufina Arcega, chairman of the education committee and Atty. Alberto Oxales Jr., chairman of legal affairs and arbitration committee.
The resolution said Cusi and the two others “were found to have committed acts in support of a candidacy of a person who is not a bona fide member in good standing of the party,” referring to Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, whom Cusi openly pitched as possible candidate for 2022.
Such actions, per the party constitution “shall be ground for immediate and automatic expulsion,” the resolution said.
It cited instances showing Cusi, Naik and Matibag “were in support and in allegiance to a political party apart from PDP Laban.”
Cusi had “publicly admitted in several instance he is open to the candidacy of Sara Duterte-Carpio as president and Rodrigo Duterte as vice president. In fact, he openly stated that PDP should consider and study the said tandem of candidates,” it said.
“In support of the movement of the tandem of Duterte-Carpio and Duterte, Cusi, in a meeting held May 31, without any authority, organized, proposed and maneuvered to push for the candidacy of President Duterte as vice president in the 2022 national elections without speciftying that the running mate for the presidency should be a candidate who is a member of the party. Thus, Cusi is already manipulating the party to support the Duterte-Duterte tandem, which is a blatant admission of supporting Sara Duterte-Carpio for president, who is not a member of the party.”
Cusi, the resolution added, “is guilty of having allegiance to a candidate . . . [who] does not even believe in federalism. Her party fielded cabdidates against and opposed official candidates of PDP Laban in 2019 elections, and she is vehemently opposed to joining the PDP Laban party.”