Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 18) — Senatorial aspirant Atty. Neri Colmenares says he is still hopeful the opposition will come together to prevent the return of the Marcoses and President Rodrigo Duterte to Malacañang in 2022.
“Ito ang issue ngayon, we are going to unite sana [The issue now is we are hoping to unite] to oppose the return of the Marcoses and President Duterte in Malacañang,” Colmenares told CNN Philippines on Monday night.
Colmenares, a staunch critic of Duterte, said they are “genuinely opposing” the President. He formalized his bid for senator last week, filing his certificate of candidacy on Oct. 7.
“It is clear we are part of the opposition…Marami kaming activists at [Many of our activists and] human rights defenders na namatay [have died] under President Duterte precisely because he considers us as…part of the opposition. At very scathing ‘yung attacks namin sa kanya [our attacks against him] and he is intolerant of dissent, we know that…I’m not saying the other political parties did not suffer deaths or may mga arrested sila or posible may mga patay din sila [or that there were arrests or they have possible deaths], but I’m saying we are genuinely opposing President Duterte,” he added.
Colmenares lauds efforts to unify the opposition against the current administration, adding that he has observed what he called the disintegration of the Duterte alliance.
“The good thing is there are efforts to unify the opposition, the other good thing is nagdi-disintgrate ang Duterte alliance. May giyera ang Hugpong, may giyera with PDP Laban,” he said on News Night.
[Translation: The good thing is there are efforts to unify the opposition, the other good thing is the Duterte alliance is disintegrating. There is a fight in Hugpong, there is a fight with PDP Laban.]
Colmenares urged candidates not to be swayed by voices they hear on social media, instead telling them to unite and be supportive of each other, asking them to remember that only one will win the country’s top post.
In the same interview, Colmenares said he bore no ill will against Vice President Leni Robredo for not including him in her senatorial slate.
“When VP Robredo excluded me from her announced slate, my position and our position is that it’s her prerogative. It’s the prerogative of presidential candidates to choose their senators. I don’t think it’s in my place to tell her what to do,” he said.
The goal, Colmenares stressed, is to defeat Duterte and Marcos.
“So whether we’re part of any slate or not, we will pursue this endeavor to make sure that they are not in Malacanang in 2022,” he said.
