Ocampo, Casiño eye Senate

CEBU, Philippines - Two partylist representatives have announced their senatorial bids in the May 2010 national elections.

Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, both of Bayan Muna, said they are running for the Senate to push for programs and reforms that Bayan Muna has been advocating for the country’s development.

The two announced their senatorial bids during the “Atras Con-Ass” campaign caravan in Cebu yesterday.

Casiño holds a degree in sociology from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He was the national president of the College Editor’s Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) for more than two years.

He volunteered for the National Movement for Free Elections in 1986 snap elections. After graduating from college, he joined several labor movements.

In 2004, Casiño was elected Bayan Muna’s representative in Congress.

“In Congress he helps spearhead the cause of progressive legislation along the lines of good governance, accountability, transparency, strengthening democratic institutions, education reforms, protection of the national patrimony and the environment, and appropriate use of information and communications technology,” a Bayan Muna statement said.

Casiño told The Freeman that once he wins a Senate seat, he would prioritize job security for Filipino workers and education for all Filipino children.

By job security, he meant to create programs and policies that will protect workers against economic crisis.

Casiño said they would aim to protect workers who will be laid off and would push for stricter regulation for contractual workers, stressing that contractual workers must get equal benefits with the regular ones.

Employers must also be protected, Casiño said, by promoting the buy-Filipino policy or Filipino first to help boost the economy in the domestic setting.

Casiño said he would push for greater budget for education. He said that all pork barrels should be given to the education sector to solve the problems on the shortage in books, teachers, laboratories, rooms, among others.

Ocampo, on the other hand, said he would continue pushing for the principles of makabayan.

Ocampo, who is on his last term as Bayan Muna representative, said he is also advocating for peace settlement, protection of minorities, among others. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/LPM (THE FREEMAN)