11/07/2024
Internal squabble within Pres. Marcos’ political party heats up
TWO members of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s political party has submitted a joint complaint-affidavit before the Manila City Prosecutors Office in connection with the criminal raps filed against South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo S. Tamayo, Jr., Thompson C. Lantion, and lawyer George S. Briones for alleged falsification of public documents and violation of the cybercrime law.
Asaam M. Ulangkaya of Koronadal City and Alexander P. Agustin, of Nabunturan, Davao de Oro, filed the joint-complaint affidavit on July 8, 2024, against the respondents Tamayo, Lantion, and Briones for one count of falsification of public document committed through the use of a computer system under Article 172 in relation to Article 171 (1) of the Revised Penal Code, and Chapter II, Section 6 of Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Law.
To those not familiar, Ulangkaya, then the national chairman for membership, is a distinguished stalwart of the party because he was the one who signed the membership form in the PFP of Marcos, Jr. before the May 2022 presidential political exercise. He took his oath on October 8, 2021.
As PFP stalwart, Ulangkaya was also the one who briefed Marcos on July 8, 2018, concerning various issues, not the least of them about the Muslims and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The President ran and won under the PFP.
Ulangkaya and Agustin's case has similar facts to another case filed by Abubakar M. Mangelen at the City Prosecutors’ Office on July 5 against the same respondents.
In their joint complaint-affidavit, the Ulangkaya and Agustin alleged that on September 18, 2021, the PFP purportedly held elections for its National Officers wherein Tamayo, Jr. was elected National President, Lantion, Secretary General, and Briones General Counsel.
According to the complainants, the election of National Officers should have been done not later than two years from April 21, 2018, when the 2018 Constitution and By-Laws (CBL) of the PFP were approved, or until April 20, 2020.
Based on Section 2, Article XVII of the 2018 CBL, the terms of office of the party’s National Officers expired on September 18, 2023.
But without justifiable grounds, the complainants alleged that the respondents failed or refused to hold a new election. Instead, the complainants said the respondents perpetuated themselves in power by “misrepresenting themselves to be the legitimate and incumbent officers of the party, going around the country recruiting and administering oaths for new members; speaking at different forums, and signing agreements on behalf of PFP,” the joint complaint-affidavit stated.
Based on Section 2, Article XVII of the 2018 CBL, the terms of office of the party's National Officers expired on September 18, 2023.
The complainants said knowing that the respondents had lost the legal mandate to act as National Officers of the PFP, the complainants together with the other members of the party held an election for the National Officers at the Linden Suites, Ortigas, Pasig City, Metro Manila, on December 14, 2023, during which President Marcos, Jr. was elected National Chairman, Leandro B. Verceles, Jr. as National President, Secretary Antonio F. Lagdameo, Executive Vice President, Antonio C. Rodriguez, Secretary General, Eng’r Antonio G. Marfori, Treasurer, Assam M. Ulangkaya, Auditor, and Julius Caesar O. Aquiluz, Sargeant-at-Arms.
The respondents allegedly continued their alleged dishonest ways, prompting the filing of an Omnibus Petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on March 6, 2024, to challenge the legitimacy of the expired authority of the respondents.
The Omnibus Petition highlighted that the respondents who were voted into office on September 18, 2021, had their terms expire two years after September 18, 2023.
However, the respondents filed their comments and used as evidence a purported amended CBL of the PFP.
The purported amended CBL was used and submitted by the respondents to the Comelec as an attachment to the PFP’s Petition for Accreditation dated April 7, 2022, as one of the 10 major political parties of the Philippines on April 11, 2022.
According to the complainants, the 2022 CBL was neither discussed nor approved by the PFP in a National Assembly meeting, citing Article XIII, Section 1 of the 2018 CBL.
Between April 21, 2018, the time the PFP filed its Petition for Accreditation to be one of the 10 major political parties on April 11, 2021, and even further in time to December 13, 2023, no National Assembly meeting to amend the 2018 CBL ever took place, the respondents averred.
As evidence, the respondents submitted affidavits executed by Alexander Agustin, Gabriel Sotto, Assam Ulangkaya, and Julius Caesar Aquiluz, who were all members of the PFP National Assembly from April 21, 2018, to December 13, 2023.
The complainants also raised the issue of false electronic signature used on the last page of the purported amended 2022 CBL which the respondents claim to be with no proper authorization and was a mere scanned copy produced using computer technology.
According to the complainants, the respondents committed violations in submitting the 2022 CBL in the Comelec proceedings, which was also raised in another case that Mangelen filed, a retired Philippine National Police (PNP) officer.
HomeFeature Story Feature StoryNationalProvincial Alitan sa partido ni PBBM tumitindi By Nep Castillo July 11, 2024 0 170 Share FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp Si Assam Ulangkaya (L), national chairman for membership ng Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, habang nagbibigay ng maikling sumaryo kay BBM bag...
