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Friday, March 29, 2024

Opposition groups form new coalition

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A new coalition of anti-administration forces on Thursday vowed to challenge President Rodrigo Duterte’s bets in the May 2022 elections by fielding a single slate of national candidates for president, vice president, and 12 senators, saying “Filipinos deserve a better government.”

In launching 1Sambayan, its conveners led by former Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio said the primary goal was to search for a viable and formidable united opposition that would bring a “resounding defeat” to the candidates fielded by the Duterte administration next year.

At the launch at the Makati Sports Club, Carpio said the broad coalition would field candidates who are committed to good governance and who seek to lift Filipinos from poverty and misery.

Carpio said the group has already spoken to possible candidates for president and vice president, including Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Grace Poe, and Nancy Binay, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

The movement began in September 2020, when economic recession and unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic had set in, the number of infections kept rising, and the incumbent administration had shown itself incapable of a sensible, effective response to the crisis, Carpio said.

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“We, in the 1Sambayan, unified the democratic forces in the country to bring good governance to the Filipino people. It’s good governance that will lift the Filipino people from poverty. It’s good governance that will bring economic development to the country and prosperity to the Filipino people. It’s good governance that will restore the pride and dignity of the Filipino people,” Carpio, chairman of 1Sambayan, said.

“The Filipino people deserve a better government,” he added.

Carpio said the 1Sambayan will search for Filipino leaders “who can do a much better job of running the government, reviving the economy, creating jobs for the people and defending our territory and our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.”

In next year’s elections, Carpio urged voters to choose national leaders with integrity, competence, patriotism and a vision for the country, and leaders who will truly serve the people.

“The Filipino people should reject all those identified with dictatorship and authoritarianism. The Filipino people should reject all those responsible for or who affect extrajudicial killings and whose mantra is kill, kill, kill. The Filipino people should reject all those who violate human rights. The Filipino people should reject all those who plundered the government. The Filipino people should reject all those who refuse to defend and protect our national territory and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said, taking a dig at the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Carpio also criticized the Duterte administration policies that impeded economic progress and development and took the government to task for failing to alleviate poverty and for mishandling thet response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Instead of focusing on effective measures to contain the pandemic, and jumpstarting the economic recovery, the present administration has wasted its precious time and resources on charter change, shutting down mass media, threatening businesses [with] cancellation of franchises, threatening academic freedoms of universities and terrorizing the legitimate dissenters with surveillance and arrests,” Carpio said. “This administration is incompetent.”

Oher conveners of 1Sambayan include retired SC Associate Justice and former Ombudsman Conchita-Carpio Morales, former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, Bro. Armin Luistro, Fr. Albert Alejo, retired Admiral Rommel Ong, Howard Calleja, former congressman Neri Colmenares, former governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela, former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza, Rickie Xavier and Renato Magtubo.

Del Rosario emphasized the urgency of restoring good governance, saying it “has never been more critical.”

“To move forward, we need to remind ourselves of the fundamental principles that hold our nation together, which are currently under attack,” he said.

Carpio and Del Rosario stressed that the current administration has done social and cultural damage to the country even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides botching its response to the public health and economic crisis, the government has also left the country’s institutions and political culture morally bankrupt, they said.

“Of paramount importance is the need for us to unite so that we can choose a singular presidential candidate and a singular vice presidential candidate for the next election in 2022. If we are able to do this and avoid splitting of votes, we will win,” Del Rosario said.

What Filipinos ought to do, led by the government, is to uphold the rule of law, make a strong stand for the Constitution, and restore decency in the public sphere, the former diplomat said.

This would require public servants who are patriotic, with unquestionable character, demonstrated competence, and who truly love the country, he added.

“We should bring back what Filipinos are and what we are all about,” Del Rosario said

The search for the most viable and formidable presidential and vice presidential candidates has already begun, the group said.

When asked why Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte and Senator Manny Pacquiao are not being considered as possible standard bearer of 1Sambayan, Carpio replied: “We are a coalition of democratic forces. We reject those who are identified with authoritarianism. We reject those who are responsible for extrajudicial killings or abet extrajudicial killings and we reject those who violate human rights and of course President Duterte is the exponent of authoritarianism. He has said several times that he will trash the Constitution. Of course, we do not think the daughter of the President will qualify under our coalition.”

“Senator Pacquiao . . . has already said he is running. He has not approached us but he is also identified with President Duterte’s stand on drugs. He has supported the war on drugs. He has stated that in the Senate. We have so many of us who do not agree with his position on extrajudicial killings. He is also for the death penalty though he quotes the Bible. So it would be difficult for us to consider him considering his affiliation with President Duterte,” he added.

Robredo said she was honored to be considered by the coalition.

Her spokesman, lawyer Ibarra Gutierrez, issued the response after the vice president was mentioned at the launch of 1Sambayan.

“While Vice President Leni remains focused on providing help for our fellow Filipinos as the nation still struggles against the COVID-19pandemic, she is honored to be considered as a possible consensus candidate,” Gutierrez said.

Robredo’s camp also expressed support for the 1Sambayan initiative.

“We respect the independent process being conducted by 1Sambayan, and hope that it will truly result in a greater degree of unity among democratic constituencies moving forward to 2022,” Gutierrez added.

Pacquiao on Thursdsy said he respects the position of the former justice.

“I know him as a person of dignity and intelligence. But like I said, this is not the best time to talk about these political line-ups,” Pacquiao said.

The senator, national president of the ruling PDP-Laban, said he will just focus on his job and continue helping people the best way he knows.

“Elections still far. Let us all work together and find ways to give help to our people especiall6y with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases,” said Pacquaio.

Malacañang, meanwhile, declined to comment on the coalition.

“It’s too early to discuss elections and politics,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said at a press briefing. “We always say that we should set aside politics because there is still a pandemic going on.”

Also on Thursday, a group of 70 local government officials called on President Duterte to run for vice-president in 2022.

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