The PDP-Laban leadership criticized a faction of the party aligned with former President Rodrigo Duterte for urging the public to join a rally at EDSA Shrine against the Marcos administration.
In a joint statement, PDP-Laban chairman Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and party president former senator Manny Pacquiao denounced what they described as reckless actions and inflammatory statements by the “rogue faction…(that) falsely claims to represent our political party.”
The Duterte-led PDP earlier urged the public to gather at EDSA Shrine following Vice President Sara Duterte’s warning that she already contacted someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez should something happen to her.
Her statement prompted the National Bureau of Investigation to issue a subpoena for possible violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act, while her supporters gathered at EDSA Shrine.
“Their call for public disturbance and their misuse of the party name for selfish political motives is a betrayal of the principles on which PDP-Laban was founded—principles centered on justice, peace, and the rule of law,” Pimentel and Pacquiao said in a joint statement.
“The Philippines has faced enough challenges, and the last thing our nation needs is division and destabilization at the hands of those who prioritize personal agendas over the welfare of the Filipino people,” they added.
The Pimentel-led faction urged the public to “discern truth from manipulation and to avoid being swayed by those who exploit our nation’s political landscape for their gain.”
“The actions of this rogue faction are neither representative of PDP Laban’s ideals nor the aspirations of its founding members and loyal supporters,” the joint statement read.
“PDP-Laban remains committed to genuine public service, nation-building, and advancing the interests of every Filipino, not to sow discord but to foster unity and progress. Let us move forward in solidarity, respecting our institutions and focusing on solutions that uplift our people.”
The Duterte patriarch ran and won the presidency in 2016 under the ticket of PDP-Laban, which was initially a coalition formed by the Lakas ng Bayan party, founded by the late former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. in 1978, and the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, established in 1982 by Pimentel’s father, the late former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.
As of now, Senator Robin Padilla serves as party president of the Duterte-led PDP.
The Philippine National Police on Sunday said it is still monitoring the situation at the EDSA Shrine even as the number of Duterte supporters gathered there have dwindled.
The PNP said it would not interfere with the gathering as long as traffic is not affected.
The police also released a video showing some supporters being offered money in exchange for their presence at the shrine.
