Adopted senatorial bets launch own campaign

MANILA, Philippines — Some senatorial candidates who have been adopted by rival presidential candidates chose to launch their campaigns on their own, but there were those who opted to attend the proclamation rally of the presidential candidate of their choice last night.

Among re-electionist and “returning” senatorial aspirants who are common candidates of various political parties are Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri; Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Richard Gordon and Joel Villanueva; Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and former senator Joseph “JV” Ejercito.

Villanueva launched his campaign through a video posted in his official Facebook accounts, where he vowed to continue to pursue his agenda of job creation and strengthen employment security in the country.

The video showed the senator speaking before a live audience and teleconference guests consisting of workers, students, beneficiaries of programs that he championed and overseas Filipino workers from 24 countries.

“On the first day of the campaign, my two eyes see and my whole body feels that I’m not alone. Together, let’s work for our beloved country,” he told his supporters in Filipino.

Any of this year’s candidates for president or vice president have jobs and employment as part of their platforms, which is why his advocacy should continue in the Senate, according to Villanueva.

“While (presidential candidates) may have differing stand on politics, they have a common denominator: they need the TESDAMAN in the Senate,” he said, referring to his previous post as head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA.

The senator’s campaign video included endorsements from presidential candidates Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

Legarda started her campaign in her home province of Antique, one of the first to hold a campaign rally at 8 a.m. at the Liberman Gymnasium in the municipality of Pandan.

She vowed to launch a campaign focused on employment generation and green pandemic recovery for every Filipino family.

“The crisis of unemployment is one of the major problems that needs to be addressed urgently. My goal is to strengthen government interventions to give our people hope, especially the poorest of our poor, belonging to the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors of our country, an assurance that they are given priority and adequate assistance as we tread on the path towards sustainable and green pandemic recovery,” she said.

Legarda shared that the success of improving Antique during her tenure as its representative encouraged her to run again for the Senate and to bring the government programs closer to the people.

“After my two decades of Senate work, I decided to be with my kasimanwa, make Antique, my beloved home province, a role model for inclusive and sustainable development for the rest of the country. Never has Antique had so much hope and improvement in the province,” she said.

“After more than two years, we’ve seen the improvement in Antique. We rose from poverty. If we were able to do it in Antique, we can do it in the entire country. Antique will be our model for recovery from this pandemic,” she told her constituents.

Among her priority legislation are the amendments to the Public Employment Service Office that she also co-authored and passed in her first term as senator, to include entrepreneurship and to strengthen local government units by establishing the Barangay Employment and Entrepreneurship Service Office to facilitate employment matching at the barangay level.

Legarda is also pushing for the One Tablet, One Student Act that will provide each student resources to cope with the blended learning system; the upgrading of salary of public school teachers from entry level Salary Grade 11 to SG 15 and to institutionalize livelihood programs under the Pangkabuhayan bill to ensure that more Filipinos are given the opportunity to start their own livelihood and be financially independent.

Ejercito started with a motorcade in San Juan City, where he grew up and served as mayor. His motorcade also toured other parts of Metro Manila.

Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III told a press conference in Imus City, Cavite that they have no issue on their adopted candidates attending proclamation rallies of their rivals, who are also supporting their senatorial bids.

“So long as (common candidates) do not endorse other presidential candidates, that’s OK,” Lacson said.

Sotto said Zubiri, Villanueva and Gatchalian, his partymate in the Nationalist People’s Coalition, sought his permission to attend the campaign rallies of other presidential candidates.

‘Unfinished business’

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, a senatorial candidate of the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte Carpio UniTeam, also laid down his legislative agenda and vowed to complete his “unfinished business” as a legislator by re-filing and updating the 210 proposed laws that he had previously sponsored at the House of Representatives if elected.

Legarda and Roque later yesterday joined other senatorial candidates of the UniTeam in the proclamation rally of the Bongbong-Sara tandem at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

They were joined by Gatchalian and Zubiri, former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, former public works secretary Mark Villar, former senator Jinggoy Estrada, Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista, lawyer Larry Gadon and former senator and Information and Communications Technology secretary Gregorio Honasan II.

All 11 senatorial candidates in the ticket were present at the proclamation rally.

Marcos’ spokesman Vic Rodriguez revealed they would have a 12th candidate.

“We plan to complete the 12 but we are still in the process of finalizing who gets that last slot for the UniTeam. Many have heeded the call for unity of Bongbong Marcos so we expect that more than 12 senatorial aspirants want to be in the lineup,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, senatorial candidate and former vice president Jejomar Binay yesterday launched his candidacy for the Senate with a series of events in the province of Batangas.

Binay is running under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), where he serves as party chairman.

He is a guest candidate of presidential candidates Vice President Leni Robredo and Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao.

Aside from Batangas, Binay is set to visit Quezon and Laguna this week.

In a statement, the former vice president shared that he intends to pursue legislation that will provide the needed government assistance for sectors adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic lockdowns.

“We need to help government workers, the private sector and small businesses who are affected by the pandemic to recover,” Binay said.

He added that he would immediately propose a Family Care Program for government and private sector workers. This program will provide food and cash aid, paid family leave credits, interest-free loans and deferment or condonation of housing loans for working parents unable to report for work in order to care for their children.

For family members caring for sick and elderly parents, Binay said he would also propose free medicine and hospital care for their loved ones and reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses.

“Rebuilding the economy is a national imperative. While doing so, government must also continue to extend aid to the poor and other sectors displaced by the pandemic and the extended lockdown. It must do so with urgency, efficiency and a sense of compassion that recognizes basic human dignity instead of debasing it,” he said.  – Jose Rodel Clapano, Cecille Suerte Felipe