Comelec defers decision on petition filed by PDP-Laban Cusi wing

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has deferred the decision on the petition filed by the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi which seeks to reopen the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) and postpone the printing of the official ballots.

“The en banc deferred resolution of the petition for the reopening of the period for filing COCs. It is expected that the matter will be resolved next week, with all points raised by the petition being squarely addressed,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a Viber message to reporters.

On Tuesday, Jimenez said the Comelec en banc was expected to tackle the petition filed the PDP-Laban faction during its Wednesday session.

On December 31, 2021, the Cusi-led faction filed a petition seeking the reopening of the COC filing as well as the postponement of the printing of ballots, saying parties should also be allowed more time to decide whom to field in Eleksyon 2022.

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

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, the 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 presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s wing tagged the petition filed by the rival faction as a last ditch effort to push for a no-election (no-el) scenario in 2022.

But Cusi’s group dismissed this, saying they are only “exercising its rights under the election laws.”

“Let the Comelec rule on the petition based on legal arguments/merits. Let us not focus on naysayers dwelling on conjectures and name-calling,” they said.

“The petition is based on a constitutional precept on the exercise of suffrage. And as a consequence, it is also imploring on the Comelec to resolve all issues before the ballots are printed.”

Amid the moves made by Cusi’s group, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Senate is already preparing for a possible “No-Election” (No-El) scenario should the Cusi-led PDP-Laban group push to stall Eleksyon 2022.

The Comelec earlier said it expects 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 national and local elections will be held on May 9, 2022. — RSJ, GMA News