The Commission on Elections was confronted on Monday by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel II over the body's decision declaring that former president Rodrigo Duterte's faction of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban as the true and official PDP-Laban party.

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

"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 Comelec must be objective as they are already 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," Pimentel added.

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

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

"The members of the party which was declared as the legitimate faction of the political group have already jumped ship. We will become a banana republic if our decision-makers in the Comelec are looking at the personalities," he added.

Lakas-CMD, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, is the party to which lawmakers from PDP-Laban chaired by former President Rodrigo Duterte have now transferred.

Pimentel 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."