‘Otso Diretso’ starts bid, does house-to-house

CEBU, Philippines — Senatorial bets of “Otso Diretso” yesterday brought the “Project Makinig” to Cebu, where candidates go house-to-house to hear the concerns of the Filipinos straight from the community.

Lawyer Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada, who was the first to arrive in Barangay Luz, Cebu City yesterday, said what they are doing is a form of “persuasion campaign.”

“People on the ground look at things differently,” Tañada told reporters.

In a visit at one of the sari-sari owners in the barangay, a resident told Tañada that Filipinos in the province suffer the brunt of nationwide price hikes, while little is changed in the purchasing power of people in the region.

The “Otso Diretso” slate include Congressman Gary Alejano of Magdalo Partylist, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, Samira Gutoc, lawyer Romulo Macalintal, former Congressman Erin Tañada and former senator Mar Roxas, who was represented by his first cousin Margarita Fores.

Vice President Leni Robredo, who is campaigning for the Otso Diretso slate, is telling the public that they choose their senatorial candidates not based on popularity but whether they are “matino, mahusay at karapat-dapat”.

Senator Bam Aquino said that the public can scrutinize and check the background of each of their colleagues and see how qualified they are for the position.

They also signed a covenant with Ahon Laylayan Koalisyon for the 8 People’s Legislative Agenda which includes strengthening the agriculture sector, going against the lowering of minimum age of criminal liability, pushing for the Anti-Dynasty Bill, Freedom of Information among others.

The coalition is composed of individuals from the different sectors like women, urban poor, cooperatives, labor, farmers, professionals/academe, senior citizens, transportation, youth, fisherfolks among others.

Alejano said we should have a strong opposition at the Senate and their entire slate deserved to be elected.

Alejano, who had studied in Cebu for two years and speaks Bisaya, said he feels a connection to the people in the province, and that similar campaigns in Magdalo where they reach out to the people on the ground have been successful before.

During the Ahon Laylayan multi-sectoral forum, each candidate made their stand on specific issue such as end of contractualization, public utility vehicle modernization, peace and security, cooperatives, women and youth issues among others.

Yesterday was the first Visayas leg of Otso Diretso’s campaign trail.  They will be in Bacolod today.

Meanwhile, Macalintal said Cebuano voters are smart and that they “choose to exercise their right to vote wisely”.

Otso Diretso is currently in Cebu where 3 million voters are expected to cast their choice in the upcoming midterm elections. — Christele Isabela B. Basco (FREEMAN)