“End Game” pushed for senatorial bets with graft records

CEBU, Philippines — A campus-based youth group in Cebu on Tuesday launched a movement dubbed as “End Game” which is aimed to educate voters to refrain from choosing candidates who have high records of corruption during their incumbency.

Jehdley Labita, convenor of Abante Kabatan-onan Alang sa Progresibong Sugbu (AKAP-Sugbu), equated candidates who have existing plunder and graft charges to “clowns,” whose mandate will be wasted if ever they get elected but will be thrown to jail again to answer for their offenses.

“Kapal ng mukha nila na haharap bilang kandidato sa posisyon na alam nila ay may pananagutan sila sa kanilang mga nagagawa,” Labita, a student of Cebu Technological University (CTU) said.

“Try to imagine, we allowed them to sit for the position and receiving the salary from taxpayers’ money while at the same time stayed in jail. That’s nuts. If I were to supervise a government position, I would eradicate those kinds of practice,” Labita added.

Julius Cesar Lañojan, also a student of the CTU and member of AKAP-Sugbu, underscored the need to screen senatorial candidates and use “honesty” as the prime criteria in choosing them.

“If a candidate’s person has already been tainted with graft and corruption, what’s the reason for listening to him,” Lañojan remarked.

“Let the people be the best judge in this election and choose the right leaders.” Lañojan added.

The youth leaders considered the Senate as the highest deliberative body of the Republic, thus the need to be protected from the reign of Senators who are facing plunder and corruption charges either in the Sandiganbayan or the Ombudsman.

The youth leaders noted about the cases of former senators Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile, and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos whose cases are still pending before the Sandiganbayan or the Ombudsman. —  FPL (FREEMAN)