Pacquiao moves deconstructed

Matibag said Pacquiao felt his presidential bid was put in jeopardy by Duterte saying he may run for VP

The possibility of President Rodrigo Duterte running for vice president next year was the tipping point that led the boxer to attack the administration.

This was PDP-Laban Secretary-General Melvin Matibag’s “post mortem” following the election of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi as party president, replacing Pacquiao who held the post in an acting capacity.

Matibag said Pacquiao felt his presidential ambition would be put in jeopardy with Duterte running for VP in tandem with either his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte or Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.

“When members started to urge the President to run for vice president through a resolution in February, this enraged Sen. Pacquiao because he felt threatened that he won’t be chosen as President Duterte’s running mate,” Matibag said.

He alleged Pacquiao grew suspicious of his own party mates, especially when a group led by Secretary Cusi passed a resolution urging Duterte to run for the second-highest post in the land.

The resolution was seen as giving Duterte the choice to select his running mate, although he has repeatedly urged his daughter not to run for president.

Matibag noted that despite the resolution gaining support from PDP-Laban members nationwide, Pacquaio disowned it, saying that it was not sanctioned by him, thus it was unauthorized.

Pacquaio then started singing the same tune as the opposition, Matibag said.

Former PDP-Laban vice president for Visayas Lutgardo Barbo defended Pacquaio, alleging that Cusi’s group wanted to pursue the Duterte-Duterte tandem, even if Mayor Duterte-Carpio is not a PDP-Laban member.

Barbo called it a “not so secret agenda.”

“There are members of the PDP-Laban who are against daughter-father tandem. It is not good in the first place,” Barbo said.