MAKABAYAN senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño yesterday appealed to Filipino voters to get rid of their gambler’s mentality when filling up their ballots, saying it has only helped the incompetent and the corrupt keep a stranglehold on government posts.
Speaking to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong during the proclamation rally for the Senate lineup, the former Bayan Muna congressman noted that most Filipino voters have the tendency to consider only those leading in poll surveys, who are mostly candidates with the deepest pockets and backed by powerful political parties and patrons.
“We should stop thinking of the election like it is a gamble or a game of chance. The country won’t win if we keep voting only the supposed sure winners or the survey favorites. Sure, your choices might win but you still end up losing because the candidates you voted for will steal from you,” Casiño said.
He urged the voters to look up the composition of the current Senate and decide if having several family members in the chamber has been good for the ordinary people.
“Look at the Senate and the Lower House. Members of Congress are your representation in governance. But do you really expect the multi-millionaires and billionaires to pass laws to take care of your needs?” he said.
Casiño noted that in terms of hard numbers, Pinoy voters have been electing actors, showbiz personalities, and candidates who can flood their consciousness with expensive campaign ads.
“In this system, they who make up less than 1 percent of our population are controlling all our taxes and all policies affecting the more than 99 percent of Filipinos. That is how they are able to turn our government into a big family corporation,” he explained.
He called on the Filipino masses to turn their votes into a political statement to declare that political dynasty must stop.
“If we want genuine reforms and a government that acts in the interest of the poor majority, we have to vote for leaders who really represent the marginalized sectors. Vote for the candidates who represent us and will defend our rights, not the most popular, not the famous faces on TV,” he added.
SAME OLD PROBLEMS
Partido Lakas ng Masa Senate bet Leody de Guzman, after stumping in the urban poor districts of Quezon City in the morning, called on the voting public to take a chance on candidates representing the poorer sectors.
“I am appealing to Filipinos not to repeat the same mistake of filling up their ballots with the wealthy and popular candidates only. Some of your choices have grown old in their positions, returning four or five times. What have they really done for you?” he said.
De Guzman said that when some of the sitting senators were first elected, the same issues were already a problem to the Filipino masses: high-priced commodities, cost of utilities, unemployment, low wages for the working class, land grabbing, and corruption in public office.
“If you say old problems have remained the same despite changes in administrations, it is because we keep electing people from the same powerful class,” de Guzman added.
STANDARD SECURITY MEASURE
The Davao City police station HAS justified the deployment of 55 policemen, in civilian clothes with shades of red, to a political rally of the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas rally, attended by President Marcos Jr last Saturday in Davao del Norte.
In a statement on Saturday afternoon, Davao City police chief Col. Hansel Marantan said the deployment was meant to ensure the safety of the President, among others, stressing that the city police is apolitical and non-partisan.
Marantan said the Davao police regional office requested the Davao City police station to augment the Presidential Security Group in providing security to the President and his delegation during the political rally.
Reports said the deployment of the policemen, wearing clothes with the red, which is associated with Marcos administration, and without firearms, raised doubts on the impartiality of the police force.
Marantan said the Davao City police “remains an apolitical and non-partisan organization committed solely to ensuring public safety and security.”
“We emphasize that this deployment is a standard security measure aimed solely at ensuring the security and safety of the President, the event venue, and the public,” he said. – With Vicor Reyes
