Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III dismissed Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan’s (PDP Laban’s) claim that he can no longer use the party’s name, calling the statement ridiculous as he was never expelled from the group.
Pimentel slammed PDP Laban during the Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday, February 20 after the party said that he has “no legal or moral right” to use the PDP-Laban name.
“Eh sira pala ang ulo nila. Hindi man nila ako kini-kickout sa party eh, tapos aangal sila na andun pa sa existing stationary ko ‘yung PDP-Laban,” Pimentel said in response to the statement.
The issue arose after Pimentel included the PDP-Laban name in a February 14 letter to Senate President Francis Escudero, urging swift action on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The party, now under the leadership of former President Rodrigo Duterte, insisted that Pimentel no longer has the right to represent PDP-Laban, citing a 2023 Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling that recognized Duterte’s faction as its legitimate leadership.
Pimentel rejected this argument, clarifying that the Comelec ruling only addressed the party’s leadership and is still being contested at the Supreme Court.
“What was decided by the Comelec is about the [PDP-Laban] leadership… Under dispute pa sa Supreme Court [yang PDP-Laban issue]. Malay natin ma-re-reverse pa ‘yan,” he said.
PDP Laban was established in 1983 through the merger of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP), co-founded by the late Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., father of Senator Koko Pimentel, and the Lakas Ng Bayan (Laban) party, founded by Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Both leaders were prominent figures in the opposition during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
The party rose to prominence in 1986 following Marcos’ ouster and the ascension of Corazon Aquino, Ninoy’s widow, to the presidency.
Decades later, amid shifting political dynamics, PDP Laban threw its support behind Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential campaign in 2016.
In 2022, the faction led by Duterte and former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi endorsed Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his successful bid for the presidency. (TCSP)
