Pacquiao hits Cusi-led faction for putting politics over COVID-19 pandemic response

Senator Manny Pacquiao on Saturday hit Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and his faction in the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) for prioritizing politics over the COVID-19 pandemic response amid the entry of more transmissible Delta variant in the country.

Pacquiao, who is in United States to train for his upcoming fight against American-boxer Errol Spence, issued the statement while the  Cusi-led faction was holding a PDP-Laban national assembly in Clark, Pampanga.

“Nakakalungkot na nakapasok na ang Delta variant sa Pilipinas at kapag hindi maagapan, marami ang maaaring mahawa. Ito dapat ang prioridad ng ating gobyerno,”  Pacquiao said in a statement.

“Kung sa tingin nila Cusi at iba pa na mas importante ang politika sa ngayon, bahala na sila. Sa huli, isa lang naman ang tanong na dapat sagutin. Sino ba ang sasamahan ng taong bayan?” he added.

(It is sad that the Delta variant has already entered the Philippines. If the government failed to curb this, a lot of Filipinos will contract the disease. This should be the priority of the government. If Cusi and his allies think that politics should be prioritized over this, then go ahead. In the end, there is only one question that needs to be answered. To whom will the Filipino people side?)

During the assembly, PDP-Laban declared Pacquiao's post as vacant and eventually elected Cusi as new party president.

Pacquiao's ouster came a day after after the Cusi opened the new nominations for new party officials.

Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, the Cusi-led faction rejected the resolution issued by the Pacquiao-led wing.

The infighting within the party started when President Duterte accused Pacquiao of saying that corruption tripled during the Duterte administration.

Since then, the President has called Pacquiao a liar and a punch drunk.

It was unclear when Pacquiao supposedly made the claim, but Pacquiao has called on his party-mates during his oath taking as PDP-Laban President in December 2020 to shun corruption. -MDM, GMA News