MANILA (UPDATE)— Presidential aspirant and Senator Manny Pacquiao on Friday said the PDP-Laban faction he is leading will file an appeal at the Supreme Court regarding the poll body's decision recognizing Cusi's wing as the legitimate faction.

"Mag-aapela din kami sa Supreme Court. Ipaglalaban namin ang mga members namin. Sa ngayon ipapaubaya ko muna kay Cocoy yan at iba ang inaatupag namin at patapos na ang kampanya,” Pacquiao said, referring to Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III.

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He said this will not affect his candidacy since his certificate of nomination came from Probinsya Muna Development Initiative (Promdi).

“Hindi siguro maapektuhan 'yan. Yung iba naniniwala naman siguro sa atin,” added Pacquiao.

Pacquiao said that Pimentel will address the issue and assured PDP-Laban members of his bloc that they they will not be abandoned.

“Hayaan na muna natin si Koko na sumagot diyan. Kung ano man ang problema, yung mga PDP members na naniniwala sa aming kakayahan ay hindi namin siya papabayaan,” said Pacquiao.

As he wrapped his series of Cebu sorties, Pacquiao during his grand rally held at Mabolo, Cebu City said he is confident that he will sit as President despite setbacks in the presidential surveys.

“Hayag na ang kadaugan natong tanan. Basin kuratan sila pareha ni Digong, landslide. Ngano man? Kadtong mga pobreng tao nagkahiusa didto ni supporta,” he said.

(The victory is bright for all of us. They might be shocked like President Duterte who won with landslide. Why? Because the poor united in support.)

The senator also said one of his plans if elected president is to immediately jail those who have been stealing from the government.

“Kahibaw mo unsa akong executive order number 001 inig lingkod nako? Akong ipareview tanang kontrata sa gobyerno! Pamultahon ta mo. Moagi mo nako,” Pacquiao said.

(Do you know what my executive order number 001 is when I sit? I will review all contracts of government. I will sanction you for it. You will go through me.)

The crowd chanted “Laban, Pacquiao!” which was a phrase often used during his boxing fights before he retired.

In a decision released Friday, a Commission on Election (Comelec) special division said the PDP-Laban national assembly that President Rodrigo Duterte presided over on July 17 last year was legitimate, adding that it was binding to all party members because they complied with the requirements.

The poll body noted that the faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi is the "true and official members" of the party and not the one led by Pacquiao and Pimentel, the son the party's founder Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr.

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The Comelec also recognized Karlo Nograles as party executive vice president, Melvin Matibag as secretary general, and Sen. Christopher "Bong" Go as auditor general, among others.

PIMENTEL: DECISION NOT IMMEDIATELY EXECUTORY

Pimentel, meanwhile, said he will file a motion of reconsideration at the poll body since the decision was "not immediately executory." He added that grassroots party members are enraged over the Comelec decision “recognizing the hijacking of the party.”

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The lawmaker said the Cusi wing's petition was "fatally defective" after it was "filed for and on behalf of a political party, which is not a human being."

"Ang luwag naman ng Comelec kay Sec Cusi pagdating sa requirements! Sec Cusi and company had no authority to file the petition and yet it was entertained by Comelec?" he said.

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He also called Cusi's camp as "strangers" to the decades-old party, saying the latter only joined it 5 years ago.

"Ayaw nga namin maging mga turncoats kaya nga 40 years na kami sa PDP-Laban. Ayaw namin ng palipat-lipat ng partido and it is Comelec which will force us to transfer to another party against our will and against our party rules?" said the lawmaker.

"The 'padding' of the membership by outsiders and complete strangers to the party should not be allowed."

CUSI WING INVITES PIMENTEL FOR 'UNITY'

In a statement, Cusi and Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag urged Pimentel to "move forward" with them in unity and for his faction to stop issuing "inflammatory statements."

"We invite Sen. Koko Pimentel to meet with us. We invite him to take a step back and not be emotional," the statement read.

"Let us unite for the sake of PDP-Laban. Let us make the party stronger than ever," the officials added.

The battle for control in PDP reached the poll body in mid-August last year, with the factions informing the commission of their legitimacy as party members.

Cusi's PDP-Laban faction has endorsed Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr., even if the party was created to oppose Marcos Jr.'s father, the late dictator and namesake Ferdinand Marcos.

PDP-Laban used to be separate political parties when it was founded in 1982. PDP was formed by Nene Pimentel, while LABAN was organized by then Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

— With reports from Annie Perez