MANILA, Philippines — Pushing President Duterte to run for senator is an indication of desperation on the part of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, whose faction in the ruling PDP-Laban party is merely riding on the “popularity and strength of personality” of the incumbent leader to boost the chances of its candidates in the 2022 polls, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said yesterday.
“Shows desperation on the part of Cusi and his group,” Pimentel said, referring to Cusi’s asking Duterte to run for senator. “They give the impression that they do not have strong candidates within their group,” he added.
“That for us is ‘personality politics’ which we want to see ended here in the Philippines as soon as possible. We should all aspire for issues-based politics,” Pimentel said.
“The good future of our country is better assured by a program of government approved by the people through their votes than by blind loyalty to a mortal person with the expectation of a return favor,” he said.
For his part, Sen. Bong Go said Duterte as senator would be a big help since he is a performing public servant.
“President Duterte is a big help as a senator, than the senators who are just looking for mistakes,” he said. He added the President has been “tested and proven” as public servant.
Sought for comment on Duterte’s possible senatorial run, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, who is running for president, said the political system “must be revisited.”
“The law allows it, that’s why our political system must be revisited,” Moreno said. He was also referring to the rule on substitution, which allows candidates who have already filed their certificate of candidacy to become placeholders for allies or party-mates deemed more winnable. Duterte employed the same tactic in 2015 when he substituted for then anti-crime crusader Martin Diño who had filed a COC for president.
Moreno said substitution of candidates is tantamount to taking the voting public for a ride.
Meanwhile, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) asked Cusi and his faction in PDP-Laban to stop their “mockery of the electoral process.”
“If President Rodrigo Duterte backtracked on his intent to run for vice-president because the people didn’t want it, what makes Al Cusi think that the people would support Duterte as senatorial candidate?” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said.
Duterte had previously accepted the party’s nomination as its vice-presidential bet in the 2022 elections. He, however, backtracked and instead announced that he is retiring from politics, supposedly to heed the “overwhelming sentiments” of Filipinos.
The announcement came following a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed that six in 10 Filipinos believe that Duterte’s planned vice presidential bid is unconstitutional.
“The Cusi-led PDP-Laban filings have become one mockery after another. Look at their candidates for President and senators, who are all subject to last-minute substitutions based on convenient political alignments,” Reyes said.
“They are running because of political expediency and not out of any desire to serve the people. They are running for self-serving goals. The people deserve better. Stop this mockery of the electoral process,” he said. - Elizabeth Marcelo, Marc Jayson Cayabyab