Comelec eyes resolution of PDP-Laban dispute before end of March (Sabong News)
Author
Dhel Nazario
Date
MARCH 23 2022
Commission on Elections Commissioner George Garcia hopes that the poll body will be able to resolve the PDP-Laban’s legitimacy case before the end of March.
In an interview on ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday, March 23, Garcia said that Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan instructed them in last week’s en banc meeting to expedite the resolution of PDP-Laban’s case.
“”I was really hoping that we will be able to resolve this controversy involving the intra-party dispute of this party before the end of March. We should be able to do that in order to raise any doubt,” Garcia said.
The political party is currently split with two different factions: one led by Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Manny Pacquiao, and the other led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. Cusi recently expressed support for the candidacy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. It earlier supported the candidacy of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go who later withdrew. The other supports the presidential candidacy of Pacquiao.
The Cusi wing earlier filed last year a petition asking the poll body to declare the Pacquiao faction as illegal representatives of PDP-Laban.
The camps of Cusi and Pacquiao, who are both claiming to be the legitimate leaders of the political party, submitted the same year their Sworn Information Update Statement (SIUS) with the Comelec for the May 2022 polls.
The SIUS is a requirement of the Comelec to every registered political party containing the full name of the party, headquarters address, list of current officials, list of elected members, and list of members, among others.
Garcia said that he would not be participating in the resolution of the case.
“I’m not participating in the deliberation or in acting on the petition, simply because I used to be a lawyer of the PDP-Laban when both camps were still united…Prudence dictates that I should not participate,” he said.
“Maybe I can if they will be asking for my guidance for example, then I can give insights or some historical backgrounds but definitely not participating, not influencing or whatever the outcome of this case. It should be decided freely impartially by the Commission,” he sadded.
Garcia also stated that there is still a conflict as to which between the Certificate of Nomination Acceptance (CONA) of the candidate the two parties should prevail. As of Wednesday, he said there is no resolution yet as to which rightful group should PDP-Laban as a party belong.
“The resolution of this controversy is so important because there’s other certain implications or collaterals that will be resolved because of the resolution of this controversy,” he said.
