Members of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) who are tagged in the drug list of party chairman, President Rodrigo Duterte, will be dealt with accordingly, Senate President Koko Pimentel III has stated.
Pimentel, also the president of PDP-Laban, said his partymates who are named in the list will be suspended and outright expelled once they are confirmed to be involved in illegal drugs.
The Senate leader made the statement in support of Duterte’s recent declaration that membership in the ruling party will not help politicians who have links with the drug trade.
There is zero tolerance for politicians who use their position to spread harm among the people, even if they are members of the Party.
“There is zero tolerance for politicians who use their position to spread harm among the people, even if they are members of the Party,” he said.
Pimentel explained that membership in PDP-Laban is a privilege reserved for those who actively support the Party’s principles and policies in words and in deeds.
“The continued existence of the illegal drug trade is contrary to the principles of the Party. You are not a true member of PDP-Laban if you defy our Chairman’s campaign against illegal drugs,” the Senate and Party chief said.
Pimentel said Party vice-chairman, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, will spearhead efforts to purge the Party’s ranks of corrupt elements. Cusi is the head of the Party’s Discipline Committee.
“As the President and our Chairman said, if you are unfairly linked to the drug trade, you will be given the chance to clear your name. However, no help will come to you if we can confirm the allegations,” he added.
The Party President said that the rapid expansion of PDP-Laban, which was swamped with thousands of applications, allowed these questionable members to enter the Party, but with the Party’s multi-step membership review process, these individuals will eventually be identified and removed.