Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8) — Presidential aspirant Leody De Guzman said he is open to supporting the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo if she will make a stand on various people’s issues.
Among the issues De Guzman wanted to get a clear-cut stand from the vice president include contractualization, low salary of workers, increasing prices of basic goods, and automatic debt appropriation.
He said this effort is also a way to have unified candidates to defeat the tandem of former Senator Bongbong Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
“Open ako makipag-usap. Para doon sa unified na laban. Pero sana, pauna lang, sana ay magkaroon ng klarong tindig sa issue ng mga mamamayan,” De Guzman said in a press conference on Wednesday.
[Translation: I am open to unification talks. But we are hoping for a clearer stance on issues that affect people.]
His running mate Walden Bello said there are now efforts from their end to reach out to Robredo’s camp.
“VP Leni and us, we are on the same side. But we are not yet on the same page. And in the process of these next few months, from our side, we will try to get to the same page,” said Bello.
The De Guzman-Bello tandem joined leaders of various organizations against the candidacy of Marcos and Duterte in UP Diliman on Wednesday.
Some of them even shaved their heads to show their protest against the candidacy of Marcos and Duterte.
“Malakas ang ginagawang pag-revise sa kasaysayan noong panahon ng Martial Law at even itong panahon ni Duterte. Kinakailangan talaga ang pagtutulong-tulong, alisin ang mga boundary, mga diperensya, kundi dapat magkaisa na,”
said De Guzman, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) standard-bearer. “Itong ganitong klaseng tao na walang iniisip kundi apihin, paghirapin, at saktan ang mga mamamayan ay dapat nating ibulgar.”
[Translation: There is a strong move to revise the history of the Martial Law period and even the time of Duterte’s administration. We need to unify people and remove boundaries and differences. We need to expose those who think of nothing else but to oppress and torment Filipinos.]
Coincidentally, the Marcos-Duterte tandem held a motorcade in Quezon City on Wednesday that caused heavy traffic along Commonwealth and Quezon Avenues.
“Mukha yatang nagbuhos sila ng napakalaking pera para magpalabas ng kunwaring supporters nila. Alam naman ho natin kung saan galing ang perang ‘yan. Galing ‘yan sa kaban ng bayan na ninakaw talaga nina Marcos ‘yan. At ‘yan po ang bilyun-bilyon na pera na ibinubuhos po nila sa halalan na ito upang sila ay manalo. Ito po ay gigantic vote-buying machine,” Bello said.
[Translation: It looks like they poured a huge amount of resources to make it seem like they have many supporters. We know where that money came from. It was stolen by the Marcoses from the national coffers. And they are spending billions for this election to ensure their victory. This is a gigantic vote-buying machine.]
Community organizing
Aside from filing disqualification cases against Marcos Jr. before the Commission on Elections, Atty. Louie Santos of the group Campaign Against the Return of Marcoses and Martial Law said they now focus on discussions in communities.
Santos said the bloody human rights records of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and President Rodrigo Duterte may just continue should their children win the elections next year.
“Ang tunay talagang solusyon dito ay pag-educate sa masa kung ano talaga ang nangyari, at ano ang mga kasalanan ng Marcoses, kung bakit hindi sila dapat makabalik sa rurok ng kapangyarihang pampulitika sa Pilipinas,” he said.
[Translation: The solution is to educate the masses on what truly transpired, the wrongdoings of the Marcoses, and why they should not return to power.]
Santos attributed the popularity of Bongbong Marcos to the supposed failure of the country’s education system to thoroughly discuss the human rights violations and massive corruption during Martial Law.
De Guzman explained that Marcos-Duterte supporters may still change their minds if issues are explained well to them.
“Kasi pag naipaliwanag mo, makikita talaga na nagbabago ang pananaw ng masa. Siyempre sa hirap ng buhay, nabigyan ka ng tulong, nabigyan ka ng t-shirt, nabigyan ka ng pagkain, ‘yun ang kanilang pamamaraan, dinadaan sa dami ng pera para hakutin ang tao,” the presidential aspirant said.
“Ang mga botante naman natin, hindi naman bobo. Kaya lang ‘yung needs nila, practical needs. Pero pag naipakita mo ‘yung logic, ‘yung dahilan, ‘yung mga facts ng mga pangyayari sa panahon ni Duterte at Marcos, nagbabago sila e,” he added.
[Translation: If the masses will be educated, we will see a change in their perspective. To woo voters suffering from poverty, candidates give dole outs, shirts and food. They use money to earn votes. Our voters are not stupid, but they have practical needs. If you tell them the facts on what happened during the terms of Marcos and Duterte, their perspective changes.]
