Aquilino Pimentel III defends PDP-Laban’s alliance with Communist Party of China

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III yesterday defended from criticisms the partnerships made by the ruling party PDP-Laban with the Communist Party of China (CPC).

“This is a free country, we can choose whom we partner with,” Pimentel, president of PDP-Laban, told reporters.

He said it was the CPC that invited PDP-Laban to be a partner in the same way that United Russia, the political party of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, sought a cooperation agreement with the ruling party.

“We’re not being invited by political parties in the US. Other political parties have their own (international networks), we have our own,” Pimentel said.

The partnerships, according to Pimentel, did not mean interference in the country’s internal affairs but rather is an opportunity to improve the lives of Filipinos.

“The challenge, I told members of the PDP-Laban, is that not everything that can be done in China can be done in the Philippines. But the CPC was able to lift some 10 million poor Chinese families from poverty every year so I hope we can find a way to do the same, to lift out of poverty poor Filipinos,” he said.

Pimentel added that there was no launching of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s book during the PDP-Laban anniversary but copies of it were simply distributed as gifts from the CPC.

The Liberal Party (LP) said the distribution of the books “leaves a bad taste in the mouth, considering that we are now seeing the most aggressive military build-up by China in the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea with the Philippine government disturbingly quiet.”

“While the Philippines’ ruling party mouths the need for deeper exchanges and cooperation for sound progress of the two nations, let us not stray from the reality that this is the same government that keeps violating international standards of laws and rules,” the LP said.