MANILA - The disagreement between Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, top officials of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), is not a power struggle but just a misunderstanding, a party official said Tuesday.

“Hindi naman po ito power struggle. At most ito po ay isang simple misunderstanding," Ron Munsayac, PDP-Laban’s executive director, told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

(This is not a power struggle. At most this is a simple misunderstanding.)

"Normal po sa isang pamilya, sa isang magkakabarkada o sa mga pribadong korporasyon, nagkaka-misunderstanding, paano pa sa pinakamalaking partidong politikal, lalo na papalapit na ang 2022 national elections? Talagang may ganitong dynamics. At kumbaga sa America ito po yung tinatawag na primaries natin,” he said.

(It's normal for a family, for friends or even private companies to have misunderstandings. What more a big political party especially since the 2022 national elections is nearing? There is really this kind of dynamics. And like in America, this is our primaries.)

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Munsayac said they have requested for a meeting with their party chairman, President Rodrigo Duterte, to hopefully iron out the misunderstanding.

“In fact ,ngayon po nagre-request ang ating party president Pacquiao ng isang pagpupulong kay Chairman President Duterte para masunod ang tamang proseso, para sa pagpapatawag ng ganito kalaking kinatawan ng partido, tulad ng ating national council and national assembly," he said.

"Wala namang problema sa pagpapatawag ng meetings, councils, assemblies. Pero sana dumaan tayo sa tamang proseso kasi our Constitutions and by-laws were made for a reason. At ito po ay dapat sundin natin,” he added.

The PDP-Laban National Council held a meeting on Monday without the consent of Pacquiao, their acting president, and voted to come up with a resolution urging Duterte to run for vice president next year and have him choose his running-mate.

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Munsayac said they think the meeting did not go through the right process.

“Tingin po namin, hindi po dumaan sa proseso. The party president was not consulted sa agenda ng meeting kahapon. Bago magpatawag ng isang national council meeting, the chairman and the president must work together. The system was designed to be democratic. After the national council, saka po magpapatawag ng national assembly,” he said.

(We think it did not go through the right process. The party president was not consulted with the agenda yesterday. Before you call for a national council meeting, the chairman and the president must work together. The system was designed to be democratic. After the national council, that’s when you call for a national assembly.)

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He said Pacquiao instructed them to request the meeting with Duterte to discuss the direction of the party and if he really intends to run for vice president.

Munsayac said that if Duterte decides to accept the call, the entire PDP-Laban would give out all its support.

But they have yet to get a reply from Duterte regarding their request. He added that should the meeting push through, Cusi, the party's vice chairman, is welcome to attend.

“More than open na makipag-pulong sa aming chairman, president Digong, and welcome po si Vice Chairman Cusi to sit down so that we can all properly plan and set the agenda for the proper national council meeting. Kumbaga, wala nang misunderstandings. As of this morning, wala pa pong feedback kasi naiintidihan po natin na napaka-busy ni President Duterte sa dami ng problema ng bansa,” he said.

(We're more than open to meet with our chairman, President Digong, and Vice Chairman Cusi is welcome to sit down so that we can all properly plan and set the agenda for the national council meeting. As of this morning, there is no feedback yet and we understand how busy President Duterte is with the many problems in our country.)

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Despite the misunderstanding, Munsayac said he is confident that PDP-Laban will be intact until the very end.

But he underscored that the chosen standard bearer for next year's national elections must be from their party.

“Because once we choose a person outside the party at meron namang malalakas na kandidato sa loob ng partido, doon po magsisimulang magkakawatak-watak ang ibang mga miyembro ng partido,” he said.

(Because once we choose a person outside of the party and we have strong candidates within the party, that will cause disunity among members.)

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Last week, Duterte's spokesman said the President "leaves to God" the decision on whether or nor he would seek the vice presidency.

Duterte, 76, is not eligible for reelection as President. In April 2019, he said he is "tired" and that did not have the "choice of being a politician forever."

• Duterte: 'I will step down at the end of my term'

"I will not stay forever, I will not be part of the political scenery in the coming years," he said then.