One exciting candidate who has galvanized social media friends is Luke Espiritu. Who is he, you may ask. That is exactly the point. Who is Luke?
From nowhere, senatorial candidate Luke Espiritu banged his way into the consciousness of many voters --all with a few fiery zingers directed at the candidates of the powers-that-be.
Blasting off at the senatorial debate, where he brusquely muzzled Larry Gadon, the erstwhile-suspended lawyer famous for verbally abusing a Marites of the legitimate kind, candidate Espiritu also seized the occasion to remind the audience of the lofty principles former press secretary Harry Roque had espoused in his neophyte days. That onslaught of verbal missives quickly got media, and hence, netizens’, attention.
Luke’s explosion into an already-noisy political scene merited a closer look at the candidate, and it seems the closer we got, the cuter he became. I mean, the more attractive of a candidate he presented himself to be.
A graduate of the elitist Ateneo Law school, where we so rarely see public servants originate, Luke went into the Chavez law firm, notorious for its controversial cases. Then he went into the messy labor relations field, where labor leaders clash with big business, and entrenched himself in that messy sphere. Things got exciting for us, and perhaps, even for him, when he tossed his hat into the Senate ring.
Quite recently, Luke rattled Catholic leaders with his discourse on women’s reproductive rights. Queried as to whether he would support the abortion ban, the candidate was quick to dismiss the State’s overreach into women’s bodies. He acknowledged he was a man, and likewise acknowledged he had no ability to regulate women’s bodies.
“(S)ociety has predetermined what a woman should choose. We have controlled women’s bodies for too long since ancient times and we have values dating back to the Middle Ages - controlling women’s bodies, telling women when to reproduce, telling women what to think, what to wear, telling women where to sit, telling women, you know, their limitations. Now, women should decide.”
You bet that statement ignited Filipinas all over social media. Given the misogynistic atmosphere engendered by the current administration, especially where a female Senator has been, prior to being jailed, shamed with the idea that she could even have sexual relations, this viewpoint was wonderful music to their ears.
Not only that, but the firebrand also launched into a wholesale acceptance of same-sex marriage, a viewpoint that must have caused heart attacks among priests selfishly wanting brotherly love for themselves. Pressed for details, Luke explained that he wasn’t just supportive of some wishy-washy half-measure like civil unions --for him, LGBTQs should be entitled to marriage in its fullest glory, white doves and all. Needless to say, the aspirant also expressed support for the SOGIE bill, an issue touched upon just last week in this space.
Not content with hurling himself into the thick of the abortion and LGBTQ fray, Luke also dove into the divorce debate crucible, championing the separation of unhappy spouses from each other’s poisonous lives.
Who would have thought a labor leader would come swinging like this? In a bio provided by ABS-CBN, voters were informed that Luke is from Bacolod (which is where I am currently writing this missive) and while seemingly privileged given his scholastic attendance in elite schools like La Salle and Ateneo, that upbringing may have nurtured his liberal/progressive views. Something we would like very much to encourage.
Candidate Luke Espiritu must be raising so many alarm bells now, not just with the oligarchs afraid that their contractualization schemes and anti-union tactics will be meddled with, but the Catholic Church as well, whose waning influence still gets full-on zealotry on hot-button issues like gays and divorcees. All the more reason to endorse him.
Vote the fresh meat into the Senate. That musty club needs a bit of airing.