MANILA, Philippines — Labor leaders Luke Espiritu and Leody De Guzman are both seeking seats in the Senate, filing their certificates of candidacy together on Friday, October 4.
The two senatorial aspirants plan on campaigning as a duo under Partido Lakas ng Masa in the 2025 midterm elections. This will be Espiritu and De Guzman’s second attempt at securing their senatorial bid.
Espiritu was a senatorial candidate in the 2022 national elections, while De Guzman ran for the same position in the 2019 midterm elections.
De Guzman previously sought the presidency in the 2022 national elections.
“The Senate needs to be free from the control of dynasties and traditional politicians. It must become a Senate that stands for workers, the poor, and the environment,” Espiritu said in Filipino.
Among their calls are to increase the daily minimum wage and abolish provincial rates, but their primary focus is the passage of an anti-dynasty law.
Ending dynastic control in the legislative branch
Espiritu and De Guzman’s main campaign goal is to rid the Philippine Congress of political dynasties, which they claim are the root cause of the problems that keep Filipinos in poverty.
“The root cause of workers' problems, whether it's contractualization at the provincial rate, lack of jobs, or the demolition of informal settlers, lies in the laws created by political dynasties,” De Guzman said in Filipino.
De Guzman also explained that lawmakers are waiting for an “enabling law” that outlines the scope of a political dynasty, which is also the reason why an anti-dynasty bill has not been passed yet.
According to Article 2, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution, political dynasties should be prohibited. However, it also states that the political dynasties are to be defined by law.
Section 26. The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.
Meanwhile, Espiritu mentioned the “absurdity” of having a whole family run for public office, saying that it is a form of “monopolizing” government positions.
He mentioned the likes of veteran actress Vilma Santos, a former representative of Batangas 6th District, and her son Luis Manzano who are looking to run for provincial governor and vice governor, respectively.
However, he also said that it is not limited to them and that people can observe the presence of political clans in Congress with the Cayetano siblings and Villar family.
“We have to curb the power of the 'trapos' and dynasties. We must pass an Anti-Dynasty Law,” Espiritu said.
Leveraging ‘pink movement’
Espiritu said that the 2022 elections demonstrated how there are Filipinos who do not have “backward” mindsets, referring to the ‘pink movement’ of former Vice President Leni Robredo’s presidential campaign.
“Gen Z and the youth no longer accept the old ways; they won’t tolerate traditional politics. They reject being treated disrespectfully. They want modern politics," Espiritu said in Filipino.
With that “layer” in the Philippine population, the lawyer expressed his desire to engage with that movement, bolster its efforts, and “merge it with the labor movement” because it is these communities that understand their advocacies.
“In fact, this became a movement in 2022, with the emergence of the pink fight, and I will speak to that movement. I will strengthen that part. I will merge the workers' movement with them,” Espiritu said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The difference between the two senatorial aspirants and other candidates, Espiritu said, is that they will not “sing and dance” around issues.
He added that they have a stand on issues and articulate their complexities whether or not it is the election season.
That is their advantage despite the huge gap between their machinery and that of other candidates who have their own businesses, the senatorial aspirant said.
“The traditional politicians do not address the issues. They just sing and dance, offering nothing substantial. I believe that if we stand for the right things, there is a layer in our population that supports that,” the lawyer said in mixed English and Filipino.