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Friday, March 29, 2024

‘Sacks of cash’ meant to attract backers–Palace

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The Palace on Monday assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte would not use government funds in the 2022 national elections, saying his remark that he would bring “sacks of cash” to support candidates from the ruling PDP-Laban was aimed at raising funds from private individuals.

“The President won’t use public funds but will help raise campaign funds from private sources to support the candidacies of the administration bets,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

He said there was nothing illegal with the President’s fundraising plans especially since mounting a candidacy is very expensive.

Roque also said the President knows full well that it is illegal to use public funds for political purposes.

“It is an assurance to his party mates that not only will he physically campaign for them, he will also raise funds for them and that’s not prohibited by the Constitution or by the Omnibus Election Code,” Roque said.

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“Democracy can be very expensive,” he said. “Without legitimate fundraising, no candidate could manage to run for public office unless the person is wealthy.”

The Department of the Interior and Local Government also denied allegations that billions of pesos in anti-insurgency funds allocated to the Davao Region will be used in the 2022 polls.

Davao Region received P4.3 billion of P16.24 billion funding for the government's anti-insurgency campaign, including P1.64 billion for Davao City, Duterte’s hometown.

National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Joel Egco said the government did not favor Davao when it allocated billions in funds to the area, noting that four out of five guerrilla fronts were operating in Davao Region. 

Meanwhile, the secretary general of the PDP-Laban, Melvin Matibag, said the September assembly pushed by Senator Manny Pacquiao, the expelled party president, was illegal. 

Matibag, who was re-elected during the July 17 national assembly of the PDP-Laban faction led by newly-elected party president Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, said the party charter was clear that a national council meeting can only be called upon the order of the party chairman, in coordination with the party president.

"So now, if we are going to have a national council meeting, it should be called by President Duterte in coordination with Secretary Alfonso Cusi," Matibag said.

But Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, PDP-Laban executive vice chairman, said they don't recognize the newly-elected officers of the Cusi-led faction who were sworn in by Duterte.

Pimentel, son of the late Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a co-founder of PDP-Laban, backs Pacquiao as party president.

Pacquiao said the July 17 national assembly of PDP-Laban held in Clark, Pampanga that ousted him was "illegal and a farce" and that the elections of the new officers was invalid.

"Pacquiao is the president, but they did not recognize him. They made a shortcut," Pimentel said in a TV interview.

However, Matibag said they are willing to discuss the matter with Pacquiao’s camp once he returns to the country from his fight in the United States.

“When he returns and he wants to talk to the leadership of the PDP-Laban, we are open to discuss matters with him,” he said.

Matibag said Pacquiao and Pimentel are still members of PDP-Laban.

Matibag also rejected Pimentel's allegations they were “delinquents."

"The remark of Senator Koko Pimentel was baseless and untrue. If he's saying that the members were delinquent, he is in fact lying," he said.

He noted that the basis of the attendance and votes garnered during the July 16 and 17 meetings was the sworn information update submitted by the party to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and signed by Pimentel.

But Pimentel dismissed Matibag’s claim, saying the document was just a list of members that were still subject to assessment. He said party members still need to undergo basic membership seminars and they still need to comply with other requirements.

“It’s not automatic that if you are listed as a member, you may already vote If you do not comply, you are a delinquent member,” Pimentel said.

Meanwhile, critics of Pacquiao were urged to give the boxing champ some peace of mind while he is training for his fight against American Errol Spence Jr. next month.

“I am calling for a ceasefire on attacks against our boxing icon to allow him to focus single-mindedly on his training. He has to prepare well for his fight. There should be nothing to distract and bother him,” Deputy Speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez called on Pacquiao’s critics and supporters and the people in general “to unite for his victory, as he is fighting for the Filipino nation and the Filipino flag.”

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