Cusi downplays ‘expulsion’ from PDP-Laban as a mere political gimmick

PDP-Laban vice chairman and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Tuesday downplayed his supposed expulsion from the ruling party by its president Senator Manny Pacquiao.

At a virtual press conference, Cusi said his faction does not recognize Pacquiao’s resolution ordering his expulsion from the party for allegedly “showing allegiance to a political party apart from PDP Laban.”

“Vice Chairman 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. He is guilty of having allegiance to a candidate and her political ideals and party. Such a candidate does not even believe in Federalism, her party fielded candidates against and opposed official candidates of PDP-Laban in 2019 Elections, and she is vehemently opposed to joining the PDP-Laban Party,” the PDP-Laban resolution ordered by Pacquiao stated.

The PDP-Laban vice chairman said he and other “expelled” members did not receive any notice and only learned about the expulsion from the media.

Cusi also noted that their supposed expulsion did not go through any process.

Pacquiao expelled Cusi, secretary-general Melvin Matibag, and membership committee head Astra Naik from PDP-Laban. 

Under PDP-Laban’s Resolution No. 6 dated June 12, 2021, the national council said the three officials violated Article VII, Section 6 of the party constitution which specifically prohibits members from maintaining any allegiance to another political party.

“In our constitution and by-laws, there is a due process in expelling members. Not an execomm or executive committee supposedly composed by Senator Pacquiao can expel members. Only the national council can expel members belonging to the national leadership,” Cusi said.

“So we don’t recognize and we consider that parang political gimmick lang,” he said.

Nonetheless, Malacañang on Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte, the party’s chairman, still recognizes Cusi as PDP-Laban vice chairman despite his expulsion from the group.

Cusi earlier claimed that the rift between he and Pacquiao started when they were not informed about the PDP-Laban’s change of leadership when the senator became party president. 

'Outsider'

Meanwhile, in an interview on ANC, Cusi denied that he is preparing the party to field an “outsider” for its standard bearer in Eleksyon 2022.

“Wala pa akong agenda (I have no agenda). There is no truth that we are preparing the party for an outsider. There is no truth that there is a preference of a presidential candidate,” he said.

Cusi, however, admitted that he is leading the party to push for President Rodrigo Duterte’s vice presidential bid in the upcoming polls.

Over the weekend, PDP-Laban executive vice chairman and Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said Cusi’s group hid their preferred 2022 candidates from the PDP-Laban officials, which he said caused the ongoing intramurals among the party officials.

As early as June, Pimentel hinted at Cusi’s “secret agenda,” claiming the latter intended to gift the ruling party’s presidential nomination to an outsider. —with Hana Bordey/KG/KBK, GMA News