Pimentel decries Comelec ruling favoring PDP's Duterte wing ahead of 2025 polls

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko"  Pimentel III decried Thursday the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) ruling favoring the faction led by former President Rodrigo Duterte ahead of the 2025 midterm polls.

"We can't issue certificates of nomination [and acceptance] because the Comelec recognizes the other faction, 'yung faction na iniwanan na nang nang-agaw sa amin (because the Comelec recognizes the other faction that already left the party)," Pimentel said in an ambush interview.

Candidates who will run under the banners of political parties must submit their certificates of nomination and acceptance (CONAs) to the Comelec. Otherwise, they will be considered as independent candidates.

PDP-Laban was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), co-founded by Pimentel's late father Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr., with the Lakas Ng Bayan (Laban) party, founded by Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. Both were opposition leaders during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

PDP-Laban was a dominant party in 1986, in the aftermath of the Marcos' ouster and the rise of Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino to the presidency.

Following changes in the political landscape over two decades later, PDP-Laban backed the elder Duterte's presidential bid in 2016.

In 2022, the wing led by Duterte and then-Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi announced its support for Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s presidential bid.

In January last year, the Comelec en Banc declared the faction led by Duterte and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi as the legitimate PDP-Laban.

This was challenged by Pimentel and former Senator Manny Pacquiao before the Supreme Court, alleging that:

• the Comelec en banc took cognizance of the case without jurisdiction;
• the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion for failing to verify whether a quorum was present in each of the alleged gatherings held by the Duterte group, including the meetings wherein Pimentel and his allies were ousted from the party.

— VDV, GMA Integrated News