IF majority of Filipino voters have traditionally gone for the frontrunners in presidential elections and yet much of the country remains mired in poverty, presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao said it might be time for the electorate to change their voting tendencies.
“After many decades, can we say we picked the right candidate? Is there progress?” he pointed out.
The PROMDI standard bearer urged Filipinos to be shrewd to avoid making the same mistakes they have made in previous elections.
“I call on our countrymen to be smarter in picking their leaders, to avoid being tricked yet again,” Pacquiao added.
The retired boxing icon said a candidate who makes too many promises that sound too good to be realistic should be rejected outright.
He said politicians who never experienced real poverty are bound to sugar-coat their pledges but are incapable of explaining their platform when challenged.
Instead, he appealed to Filipino voters, particularly those who comprise the poorest strata of the society, to choose a candidate who had experienced a hand-to-mouth existence.
“Never before has there been a candidate who climbed out of extreme poverty. Now you have a chance to choose a candidate championing your kind,” said Pacquiao, who has been campaigning hard on a promise to prioritize housing and employment programs for the poor.
Pacquiao shrugged off the latest Pulse Asia survey results showing him in third spot behind frontrunner former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo.
He said he remains optimistic that he will get the support of the poorest sectors who command 85 percent of all the votes.
The senator said people who struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis are seldom heard because they have neither the time nor the means to post their sentiments online or to participate in surveys.
“They are those who are waiting, dreaming for real change. These are the people who cannot comment on social media platforms because the cost of gadgets is beyond them.
Besides, they are always too busy scrounging for ways to stave off hunger,” he said.
