The declaration of Senator Manny Pacquiao as the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP-Laban party is “illegal”, an officer of the faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said Monday.
Cusi wing Secretary General Melvin Matibag said that the declaration was illegal since Pacquiao’s faction, which nominated him to be the PDP-Laban presidential candidate, is illegitimate.
“Puwede magdeklara pero sana huwag na gamitin ‘yung PDP dahil ilegal na ‘pag ginamit ‘yung PDP,” Matibag said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.
Matibag also insisted that the national assembly organized by the Pacquiao camp, where he was nominated as the presidential candidate of PDP-Laban, was not authorized.
The national assembly was held as the infighting within PDP-Laban continues. Two factions have since formed—one led by Pacquiao and another led by Cusi.
During the Cusi wing-organized national assembly, Senator Bong Go and President Rodrigo Duterte where proclaimed as PDP-Laban’s standard bearers in the 2022 national polls.
