Cusi wing petition a last-ditch effort to stall Eleksyon 2022 –Pacquiao ally

The petition filed by the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi was a last-ditch effort to stall Eleksyon 2022, an ally of presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao said Monday.

In a statement, senatorial aspirant Lutgardo Barbo, who also sits as vice chairman of the PDP-Laban wing led by Pacquiao, called the Cusi-led faction's effort to get the Commission on Election (Comelec) to reopen the filing of certificates of candidacy a “ploy to derail” the upcoming polls and a push for a no-election (no-el) scenario.

Barbo added that the Cusi group was attempting “ to subvert the will of the people” and he thus urged the poll body to ignore it.

Furthermore, Barbo argued that as far as the "real" PDP Laban Party was concerned, no authority was given to file such a petition.

"Such Petition was filed by mere usurpers and pretenders designed to mislead the public that they are authorized by the Party to do such farcical acts," Barbo, one of the founders and an "old guard" of the ruling party, said.

"All their acts are unauthorized because they are led by non-members and they are in utter violation of the Party Constitution."

The senatorial aspirant said the petition was not only an act of gross misrepresentation but also a shrewd attempt to derail the electoral process.

"Do not allow such people illegally and idiotically acting as representatives of the PDP-Laban to further destroy the party and the electoral process for their own selfish and evil ends,” Barbo urged the Comelec.

‘Lust for continuous power’

Noting the absence of a standard-bearer from Cusi’s wing and the fielding of candidates who are not members of the party, Barbo said, "Cusi and his gang of party crashers have already lost the clout and the leverage to claim any authority over the original members of the PDP Laban."

"Even with a lame-duck leadership, they still want to be relevant and they are now begging the Comelec at another chance to offer whoever to become their standard-bearer."

Barbo warned that the Cusi petition could delay and derail the electoral process and this would prolong their hold on power.

“It is also an admission that they do not offer anything to the electorate other than their lust for continuous power," he added.

GMA News Online sought Cusi and PDP-Laban secretary-general Atty. Melvin Matibag’s comments on Barbo’s statement but he and his representatives had yet to respond as of posting time.

Last week, the Cusi-led faction filed a petition asking the Comelec to reopen the filing of COCs barely three months after the deadline had lapsed.

They also called on the poll body to postpone the printing of ballots, saying parties should also be allowed more time to decide whom to field in Eleksyon 2022.

The PDP-Laban has no candidate for president in Eleksyon 2022.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, a long-time aide of President Rodrigo Duterte, initially filed a COC for vice president under PDP-Laban.

He withdrew the bid after Duterte's daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte filed a COC for vice president.

Go filed a COC for president as a substitute under Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS), a party allied with the PDP-Laban.

The senator in the end also withdrew his 2022 presidential bid under PDDS.

Two factions of the PDP-Laban are vying for recognition before the Comelec—that of Cusi and Duterte, and the other of Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and Pacquiao.

The Comelec earlier said it expected the release of the official list of Eleksyon 2022 candidates by January 7, with the printing of ballots to begin on January 15.

The 2022 elections will be held on May 9, 2022. — DVM, GMA News