The Supreme Court (SC) has officially resolved the leadership dispute in Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban), recognizing the group led by Alfonso Cusi (Cusi) and Melvin Matibag (Matibag) as the legitimate leaders of the political party.

In a Decision written by Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao, the SC En Banc dismissed the petition filed by former Senators Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (Pimentel) and Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao (Pacquiao), which questioned the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) recognition of the Cusi-led group.

Back in 2021, PDP Laban was chaired by then-President Rodrigo Duterte (Duterte), with Cusi serving as vice-chairperson. That year, Pacquiao expressed his intention to run for president in the 2022 elections under PDP Laban. However, Cusi allegedly held meetings with local party leaders and endorsed a different presidential candidate who was not a party member.

As a result, the National Executive Committee (Committee), led by Pimentel and Pacquiao, passed a resolution advising the National Council to ask Cusi to justify why he shouldn’t be expelled due to his actions, which went against the party’s interests.

On May 31, 2021, the National Council met in Cebu City, with Cusi presiding as authorized by Duterte, who joined via video conference. They appointed Matibag as Acting Secretary General.

Meanwhile, the Committee, led by Pimentel, expelled Cusi and Matibag and declared their party positions vacant. Officers were elected, with Pimentel as acting chairperson due to Duterte’s continued absence and incapacity.

Later, on July 17, 2021, the Cusi group held a national assembly, which Duterte attended in person. During the assembly, new officers were elected, including Cusi as president, while Duterte retained the chairperson position.

The Pimentel group, for its part, held its own assembly on September 19, 2021, and proclaimed Pacquiao as PDP Laban’s presidential candidate.

The Cusi group then filed a petition with the COMELEC to declare the Pimentel-led group as illegitimate officers.

Pimentel and Pacquiao argued that Cusi’s May 31 meeting was unauthorized and irregular because Cusi lacked the authority to call and preside over the meeting. They also argued that the meeting notices were flawed, the agenda hadn’t been coordinated with Pacquiao, the party president, and there was no quorum. As a result, all subsequent actions, including the July assembly, were deemed invalid.

The COMELEC eventually ruled in favor of the Cusi group, and the SC upheld this decision.

The SC clarified that under PDP Laban’s constitution, the vice-chairperson may take over the chairperson’s duties in cases of absence or incapacity. Here, Duterte had already authorized Cusi to organize and lead the May 31 meeting through a memorandum dated May 17, 2021.

Even if there were procedural issues—such as a lack of coordination with Pacquiao or defective meeting notices—the SC ruled that the meeting was valid because a proper quorum was present. Out of 162 voting members, 126 (or 80%) attended, which far exceeds the required 40% quorum. Additionally, according to the party’s constitution, any defect in giving notice does not invalidate proceedings if a quorum exists.

Because the May 31 meeting was valid, the actions taken during and after it—including the July 17 national assembly—were also valid. The SC emphasized that Cusi, as vice-chairperson, had the authority to perform functions assigned by the National Council.

The SC also ruled that the actions taken by the Pimentel group—expelling Cusi and Matibag, and appointing Pimentel as acting chairperson—were void, as the Committee does not have such powers under the party’s constitution.  (Courtesy of the SC Office of the Spokesperson)

This press release is prepared for members of the media and the general public as a simplified summary of the SC’s Decision. For the SC’s full complete discussion of the case, please read the full text of the Decision in G.R. No. 265395 (Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, Sr. v. Commission on Elections, Alfonso G. Cusi, and Melvin A. Matibag), July 8, 2025.