Rodriguez calls for 'ceasefire' on attacks vs. Pacquiao

Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Monday called for a "ceasefire" on the attacks against Senator Manny Pacquiao amid issues within the ruling PDP-Laban.

In a press statement, Rodriguez said this would allow Pacquiao to have peace of mind as he trains for his upcoming fight against American boxer Errol Spence Jr.

“I am calling for a ceasefire on attacks against our boxing icon to allow him to focus single-mindedly on his training. He has to prepare well for his fight. There should be nothing to distract and bother him,” the lawmaker said.

"Let us all support him because he brings pride and honor to our country. We will have time for divisive politics after the fight."

Rodriguez urged the two factions in PDP-Laban -- the camp of Pacquiao and that of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi -- to elevate their leadership dispute before the Commission on Elections and Supreme Court after the boxer-senator's fight.

"These are the proper fora to resolve this issue," he said as he urged Cusi to "go back to attending to our energy-related problems like the red and yellow alerts signifying short supply in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon." 

Meanwhile, Rodriguez said he is praying for Pacquiao's clear and convincing victory against Spence that could once again boost Filipino pride.

On Saturday, PDP-Laban installed Cusi as the party's president, replacing Pacquiao, in a national assembly described by Pacquiao's camp as unauthorized.

Prior to this, Pacquiao and his PDP allies had issued a resolution expelling Cusi, PDP-Laban Deputy Secretary General Melvin Matibag and PDP-Laban membership committee head Astra Naik over alleged violations of the party’s by-laws and constitution by “showing allegiance to a political party apart from PDP Laban.”

They also issued resolutions invalidating what transpired in the previous two PDP-Laban meetings where a number of party members pushed President Rodrigo Duterte to run for vice president in the coming elections. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News