Cayetano bares eco-friendly, lead-by-example campaign

CEBU, Philippines — Don’t expect posters, flyers, and other traditional materials from former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano as he launches an “eco-friendly, lead-by-example” campaign in his comeback trail to the Senate in the May 2022 elections.

“Ano ang pumapasok sa isip natin ‘pag sinabing ‘halalan sa Pilipinas’? Nandyan ang maaksayang paggamit ng papel, tinta, at iba pang printing materials. Ilang puno ang nasasakripisyo natin sa iilang buwan lamang na kampanya?” Cayetano said in a statement as the official campaign period for national positions starts yesteday.

The former senator said that they are not only wasteful, but also add to the garbage problem that is huge enough as it is.

Cayetano instead asked the public to show their support by planting trees and mangroves and, for those in the cities, doing urban farming like making backyard gardens or even green walls.

He also encouraged supporters to grow flowering plants and engage in other sustainable practices, saying the future generations are depending on us to leave a better world for them.

The former secretary of the Department if Foreign Affairs said that one of the unexpected results of the pandemic was it brought families closer together and made the environment cleaner as people stayed home.

“This campaign season should not be a reason for candidates to spoil this unforeseen benefit,” he said.

Leading by example in doing away with printed campaign materials, Cayetano said his campaign will instead focus on digital platforms since according to a Pulse Asia survey, 63% of Filipinos have access to the internet as of 2021.

Cayetano, who has topped two national surveys in recent months, urged his supporters to join the movement and not produce campaign materials other than digital ones.

He also urged everyone to join him in this new campaign style by not printing posters because these will only contribute to the destruction of the environment but instead focus on Facebook and other platforms to encourage Filipinos to vote.

He also said he would not mount motorcades in keeping with his push for a more environment-friendly approach to his campaign.

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos has expressed worry that mock polls held last year did not thoroughly run through pandemic protocols and may lead to voters losing their way at election centers and being disenfranchised in the May 9 elections.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on electoral reforms and people’s participation, said that overcrowding took place during last year’s mock polls due to technical and logistical glitches.

Participants spent much time looking for their names and assigned precincts, vote-counting machines jammed or rejected ballots, and a weak internet signal delayed the voting process.

Marcos recommended that another round of mock polls be held with more participation from DOH personnel and for the Comelec to immediately release guidelines on how election campaigns should be conducted.

“I urge the Comelec to issue guidelines ASAP on how to maintain safety during caravans, sorties, house-to-house visits and town hall meetings,” Marcos said in a separate statement.

Marcos also expressed regret that early voting for vulnerable groups could not take place on May 9 because the Senate did not pass Senate Bill 1104, which she authored.

The bill could have allowed vulnerable groups like senior citizens, persons with disability (PWDs), and pregnant women to vote ahead of the general public.

The senator further said that the privilege could also have been extended to health workers, poll watchers, military and police personnel, and the media. — LPM (FREEMAN)