Koko-led PDP-Laban wing to allow members to run under other party in 2025 polls

The PDP-Laban faction led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III will allow its members who will seek elective positions in Eleksyon 2025 to run under different parties.

Pimentel announced this at the PDP-Laban faction's national assembly held in Quezon City on Friday afternoon.

"Itong aming national assembly, required po ito... lalo na election time kailangang may adjustments kaming gagawin kasi most likely 'yung aming certificate of nomination (CONA) ay hindi 'yun ang iho-honor ng Comelec dahil kumampi ang Comelec sa isang faction. So mayroon kaming adjustments na gagawin dito sa assembly namin," Pimentel told reporters in an ambush interview.

(Our national assembly is required... especially now that it is election season, we need to do some adjustments as our certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) might not be honored by Comelec due to its decision favoring the other faction. So, we need to make adjustments in our assembly.)

"Sa PDP-Laban constitution, bawal po ang party member na gumamit ng certificate of nomination ng ibang partido. Automatic 'yun, expulsion from the party. That’s why, mag-gagawa kami ng adjustment ngayon na mayroon kaming permission from the members na hindi namin i-apply 'yun for 2025 election," he added.

(The PDP-Laban constitution prohibits party members from using a certificate of nomination from another party. This automatically leads to expulsion from the party. That's why, we are making an adjustment now with permission from the members not to apply that rule for the 2025 elections.)

In 2023, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared the faction led by former President Rodrigo Duterte and former energy secretary Alfonso Cusi as the legitimate wing of the PDP-Laban.

Pimentel's group has questioned this ruling before the Supreme Court.

This adjustment, Pimentel said, was already done in the 2022 presidential elections when the PDP-Laban faction, which he leads, allowed one of its members, former Senator Manny Pacquiao to run for president under a different political party.

"Si Senator Manny Pacquiao, tulad ng dati din pinayagan namin siyang gumamit kasi iniwasan namin 'yung gulo ng last presidential election, pinayagan namin siyang gumamit ng other party's CONA," he said.

(Senator Manny Pacquiao, similar to how we allowed him to use it before to avoid the technicalities in the last presidential election, we allowed him to use another party's CONA.)

"I think that is the solution so kailangan namin ng permission from our members kasi very strict 'yung aming party constitution... We still believe that we are the real political party called PDP-Laban. At any rate, pending pa rin naman ang kaso wala pa naman ding desisyon sa SC (Supreme Court), so we have to continue to follow the constitution of the party," he added.

(I believe that is the solution, so we need permission from our members because our party constitution is very strict. We still believe that we are the real political party called PDP-Laban. At any rate, the case is still pending and there is no decision from the Supreme Court yet, so we have to continue to follow the party's constitution.)

Asked if PDP-Laban would endorse candidates for the 2025 midterm polls, Pimentel said "most likely," but they have yet to discuss it with the grassroots members of the party.

"Most likely baka mag-endorso kami, mamimili kami but we have to be very strict... Senatorial and siguro sa local we will just have to delegate na the authority... Pag-uusapan namin ngayon," he said.

(We're probably going to endorse and we'll choose candidates but we have to be very strict. We might field a senatorial slate and as for the local positions, we'll likely just delegate the authority to someone else.)

Last week, the Duterte-led PDP-Laban faction announced that its members, Senator Bong Go, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, and actor Philip Salvador will run for the Senate in Eleksyon 2025. — VDV, GMA Integrated News