Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel II confronted the Commission on Elections on Monday for recognizing former President Rodrigo Duterte's faction of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, or PDP Laban.

Pimentel, the leader of the other PDP Laban faction, told the Comelec during the Senate plenary deliberation on the poll body's proposed 2024 budget to be objective in deciding petitions.

"It is very difficult to be a referee in an activity where politicians are clashing. The Comelec's role is to be the referee and the winning politicians will serve as high-ranking officials of the government. That's their difficulty," Pimentel said.

Pimentel added that the Comelec must be objective as it is guided by technology.

"You are now assisted by technology to objectively determine the will of the people, and I hope the leadership is also as objective as the machines, Mr. President. No political bias," he said.

Pimentel cited a political party whose members have moved to another party although he did not specifically mention PDP Laban.

"Just look at what happened to this political party whose case was recently resolved by the Comelec. The members of the party which was declared the legitimate faction of the political group have already jumped ship. We will become a banana republic if the political party is given to non-ideologues," Pimentel said.

He said the Comelec must be like vote-counting machines that do not consider the personalities.

Senator Imee Marcos, who defended the Comelec's budget, agreed with Pimentel's statement. As they appealed to the Comelec's decision before the Supreme Court, Pimentel hoped that "justice will be served in that case."