After four years of internal wrangling that split one of the country’s biggest political parties, the Supreme Court has drawn the line. The high tribunal has upheld the leadership of Alfonso Cusi and Melvin Matibag, officially settling the battle for control of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban).

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao on 8 July 2025, the Court En Banc dismissed the petition filed by former senators Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, who had sought to overturn the Commission on Elections’ recognition of the Cusi-led wing.

The conflict traces back to 2021, when then-president Rodrigo Duterte chaired the party with Cusi as vice-chairman. Tensions rose after Pacquiao announced his intent to run as PDP Laban’s presidential candidate in the 2022 polls. Cusi was accused of supporting another contender, sparking a bitter falling out.

The Pimentel-Pacquiao group responded by expelling Cusi and Matibag for alleged disloyalty. But on 31 May 2021, Cusi, acting on a memorandum from Duterte dated 17 May, presided over a party meeting where Matibag was installed as acting secretary general.

The Supreme Court held that the 31 May meeting was valid, noting that procedural concerns, such as lack of coordination with Pacquiao, did not invalidate the gathering since 126 out of 162 voting members attended. The 80 percent attendance, the Court stressed, went well beyond the constitutionally required 40 percent quorum.

The Court also upheld the subsequent national assembly held on 17 July 2021, where Cusi was elected party president. In contrast, it voided the actions of the Pimentel-led faction, including the expulsion of Cusi and Matibag and Pimentel’s installation as acting chairperson, citing lack of authority under PDP Laban’s constitution.

The decision closes a drawn-out chapter in the ruling party’s history, one marked by rival assemblies, legal challenges, and public disputes. With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Cusi-Matibag leadership now holds uncontested authority, bringing a measure of finality to a feud that once fractured the political powerhouse founded on the principles of democracy and reform.