Filipinos deserve better leaders to fix pandemic mess, says Pangilinan

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, during one of the hybrid plenary sessions at the Senate in March 2021. Screen grab / Senate PRIB file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Francis Pangilinan on Thursday said Filipinos “deserve better” and that the country’s future leaders must be capable of addressing the “mess” brought about by the pandemic such as economic recession and hunger, rather than “downplaying” them.

In a statement, Pangilinan underscored the need of setting aside differences to form a “strong unity of forces” capable of “delivering competent, science-based programs and interventions” amid the pandemic.

“This requires leadership that will squarely address rather than minamaliit yung problema o dinadaan sa biro o pabagu-bago ang desisyon. Hindi na pwede yun because we deserve better. We need to get out of this mess,” he said.

(This requires leadership that will squarely address rather than downplay the problem or make jokes or indecisiveness. This should no longer be the case because we deserve better. We need to get out of this mess.)

“Palagay ko dahil pinag-uusapan na rin ang halalan, napakagandang oportunidad na rin mapag-usapan yung halalan sa konteksto kung paano natin masosolusyonan ang Covid at kawalan ng hanapbuhay at trabaho. And I think that should be the focal discussion when we discuss 2022,” he added.

(I think since we are already talking about the election, it is also a very good opportunity to talk about the election in the context of how we can solve COVID-19 and the unemployment in the country. And I think that should be the focal discussion when we discuss the 2022 elections.)

The senator noted that the COVID-19 pandemic brought about the worst economic crisis since World War II and the worst health crisis in the last century.

Because of this, Pangilinan stressed the need for a “broad coalition” that aims to provide a more efficient health and economic response to the pandemic.

The senator reiterated that he is seeking a Senate reelection in 2022.

He said that his past experiences in public service as well as his advocacy to address problems concerning agriculture and food security will help the country towards economic recovery.

As of July 7, the country has recorded a total of 1,450,110 COVID-19 cases in which 47, 519 are active cases, 6,399 recoveries, and 164 deaths. — Sofia Vertucio, trainee

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