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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
February 20, 2025 | 4:50pm
Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III talks to the media during the Kapihan sa Senado, February 20, 2025.
Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) on Thursday, February 20, criticized Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel for using the party’s name in his letter urging the Senate to act on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Pimentel wrote to Senate President Francis Escudero, stating that the Senate must immediately act on the articles of impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives.
In the letter’s header, Pimentel identified himself as a member of PDP-Laban. However, the party split into two factions following disagreements over former President Rodrigo Duterte’s stance on the West Philippine Sea and allegations of corruption in the government.
The faction led by Duterte condemned Pimentel’s use of the party’s name, arguing that the Commission on Elections had already ruled in their favor regarding the party’s leadership dispute.
“Pimentel no longer has any legal or moral right to use the name PDP-Laban because the Commission on Elections has ruled with finality on March 23, 2023 that the group led by former President Rodrigo Duterte is the true and legitimate PDP-Laban,” the party said in a statement.
“Therefore, only the group led by President Duterte has the right to use the party name. Moreover, Pimentel has left the party and has transferred to the Nacionalista party,” they added.
PDP-Laban also said that Pimentel is currently running under the Nacionalista Party.
However, Pimentel defended his use of the party’s name, arguing that the Comelec ruling is still pending before the Supreme Court and could still be overturned.
Former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who led Duterte’s PDP-Laban faction during the split, reportedly told Pimentel that he had not been formally expelled from the group.
“Sira pala ulo nila, sasabihin nila na hindi nila ako kinikick-out sa party tapos aangal sila,” Pimentel said.
(They must be crazy, they will say that I was not kicked out of the party and then they will protest.)
Pimentel said that his father, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., was one of the founders of PDP-Laban.
He explained that while he continues to use the PDP-Laban name, he ran under the Nacionalista Party with the approval of his faction.
Former senator Manny Pacquiao, who was part of the faction that split from Duterte’s PDP-Laban, also ran in the midterm elections under a different party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
