Abas: Comelec eyeing decision on PDP-Laban factions by November

 The Commission on Elections (Comelec) might release its decision declaring the legitimate PDP-Laban faction by November, poll chairman Sheriff Abas said Wednesday.

In a television interview, Abas said they are expecting both camps of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Senator Manny Pacquiao to file the certificates of candidacies of their respective nominees.

“For as long as wala kaming (we don’t have a) decision, ‘di pa natin alam ang legitimate na faction (we don’t know which faction is legitimate). Surely, the two factions will field their candidacy, sure ‘yan (that’s for sure),” Abas said.

He said the Comelec will still conduct clarificatory hearings on the petitions filed before them, after which, the petition will be decided by the en banc.

“Mag-conduct kami ng clarificatory hearing and after that, we will submit na to the en banc. So magbobothan kami, siguro mga sometime November,” Abas said.

(We will conduct clarificatory hearing and after that, we will submit to the en banc. We will vote on that, maybe sometime November.)

Early this month, the Cusi-led PDP-Laban faction filed a petition before the poll body to declare Pacquiao and Senator Aquilino Pimentel III as illegal representatives of the party.

The poll body has already ordered Pacquiao and Pimentel to respond to the petition filed by the Cusi wing.

Pacquiao’s group has maintained that they are the legitimate PDP-Laban group.

Pimentel, on the other hand, emphasized that he is a member of PDP-Laban since the 1980s.

The senator's father, the late former Senate President Nene Pimentel, is the founder of PDP-Laban.

Pacquiao was recently named the presidential candidate of his PDP-Laban faction.

Cusi's group nominated Senator Bong Go as its presidential candidate and President Rodrigo Duterte as the running mate for Eleksyon 2022.

Until now, Go has not accepted his nomination but Duterte already signed his Certificate of Nomination Acceptance. — RSJ, GMA News