Makabayan bloc endorses Poe-Escudero tandem

Makabayan supports Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero for 2016 election, held at Quezon City Sports Club. INQUIRER/Niño Jesus Orbeta

The presidential and vice presidential bids of Senators Grace Poe and Francis “Chiz” Escudero in the 2016 elections got another boost from the Makabayan bloc, a progressive coalition, which officially endorsed them on Thursday.

Makabayan is composed of the Sulong Katribu, ACT Teachers Party List, Migrante, Gabriela Women’s Partylist, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kabataan Partylist, and Piston.

Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares is part of the Poe-Escudero senatorial slate dubbed as “Partido Galing at Puso.”

“Malugod na idinedeklara namin sa araw na ito ang pag-endorso ng Makabayan sa kandidatura ni Grace Poe bilang Pangulo at ni Chiz Escudero bilang Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas,” Makabayan President Satur Ocampo said, reading from a prepared statement  of the  group.

(We are pleased to declare on this day the Makabayan’s endorsement of the candidacies of Grace Poe for President and Chiz Escudero for Vice President of the Philippines.)

“Komitment sa platapormang nagtataguyod ng makabuluhang repormang sosyo-ekonomiko at pulitikal; mabuting rekord bilang lingkod-bayan; at pagiging bukas sa pakikipagtulungan sa mga progresibong pwersa. Ang mga ito ang pangunahing dahilan ng pag endorso ng mga Makabayan sa kandidatura nina Grace at Chiz,” Ocampo added.

(Commitment to the platform of establishing significant socio-economic and political reforms; good records as public servants; open-mindedness in cooperating with progressive forces. These are the main reasons for Makabayan’s endorsement of the candidacies of Grace and Chiz.)

Furthermore, Makabayan said that Poe and Escudero expressed their commitments to at least nine programs of government that the group said would beneficial to the masses and the country.

Among their commitments, the bloc said, is to address the problems of farmers and fishermen; provide jobs, raise the salaries of teachers and nurses, reduce the income tax, raise the SSS (Social Security System) pension; additional budget for public schools, hospitals, health centers and shelters; and protect human rights, continue the peace talks with the National Democratic Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, protect the victims of calamities, establish a transparent government, among others.

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“Higit sa usaping legal, ang plataporma ni Poe sa maraming usapin ng mahihirap at ng bansa ay may Pilipino kumpara sa program at rekord ni Pangulong Aquino at Mar Roxas na sagad sa pagkatuta sa US at promotor ng mapaminsalang globalisasyon sa bansa,” the group said.

(More than legal terms, Poe’s platform on a number of issues of the poor and the country has the Philippine side compared with the programs and records of President [Benigno] Aquino [III] and Mar Roxas which were pro-US and promoters of destructive globalization of the country.)

The group meanwhile pointed out its long-standing relationship with Escudero, which started when the latter was still the minority leader of the House of Representatives. Escudero was a three-term congressman before he was elected senator in 2007.

“Testigo kami sa kanyang kakayahan, pagiging maasahan at kasanayan bilang lingkod-bayan at sa kanyang pagtataguyod sa maraming isyu at kahingian ng mamayan na tinitindigan ng Makabayan,” the Makabayan said of Esudero.

(We are witnesses of his ability, reliability and experience as a public servant and his standing up to a number of issues and demands of our fellow countrymen that the Makabayan stands up to.)

READ: Kapunan’s Aksyon party ‘adopts’ Grace Poe

Aside from Makabayan, the other political group that endorsed the candidacies of the two senators was Aksyon Demokratiko of the late former Senator Raul Roco. RAM