The PDP-Laban faction of acting party president Sen. Manny Pacquiao has expelled Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and two others from the ruling party for allegedly backing members of another political party.
Cusi is vice chairman of PDP-Laban. The two other expelled officials were PDP-Laban Deputy Secretary General Melvin Matibag and membership committee head Astra Naik.
“Vice Chairman Cusi is already manipulating the party to support the Duterte-Duterte tandem which is a blatant admission of supporting Sara Duterte-Carpio for president, who is not a member of the party,” PDP-Laban Resolution No. 6 read.
President Rodrigo Duterte chairs PDP-Laban. Duterte-Carpio, who is one of the possible presidential candidates in 2022, belongs to the Hugpong ng Pagbabago political party.
“[Cusi] is guilty of having allegiance to a candidate and her political ideals and party. Such a candidate does not even believe in federalism, her party fielded candidates against and opposed official candidates of PDP-Laban in 2019 Elections, and she is vehemently opposed to joining the PDP-Laban Party,” the resolution read.
“With their expulsion, all rights and privileges of Cusi, Matibag and Naik as members of the party and all their positions or authorities in the party are likewise immediately terminated,” it added.
The PDP-Laban National Executive Committee also passed a resolution authorizing Pacquiao to create investigation committees to “probe complaints about party members who may have violated the party Constitution or may have committed acts inimical to the party by showing allegiance to another party.”
On Tuesday, Duterte met with PDP-Laban officials under Cusi’s faction in Malacañang, during which he said he was seriously considering running for the vice presidency in 2022 and pushed Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, auditor of the party, to pursue the presidency.
Pacquiao recently listed the Department of Energy, which Cusi heads, as among the corrupt agencies under Duterte.
Duterte claimed Pacquiao only brought up the corruption allegations after he grew impatient waiting for PDP-Laban to choose its presidential bet. John Ezekiel J. Hirro