- FILE PHOTO: Labor leader Leody de Guzman, chair of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino. (Photo from his Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — The true elections are still months away, labor leader and presidential candidate Ka Leody de Guzman reminded the public as a recent survey showed him well behind other possible candidates for the 2022 national elections.
De Guzman in a statement on Wednesday, hours after the Pulse Asia survey was released, noted that surveys are only guide as to what may happen in an upcoming elections.
“Ang tunay na kapasyahan ng taumbayan ay lalabas sa Mayo 2022. Ang mga survey, commissioned man o hindi, ay pagtatantya lamang sa magiging resulta nito,” he said.
(The true intentions of the people would only be known by Mayo 2022. The surveys, whether they are commissioned or not, are only an estimate of the result.)
“Hindi tayo natitinag sa resulta ng mas survey. Tuloy lang sa pagtataas ng diskurso para pag-usapan ng masa ang plataporma ng mga solusyon sa kanilang pang araw-araw na mga problema,” he added.
(We are not shaken by the survey results. We would only continue to increase the discourse so that we and the masses can talk about the platforms and the solution to their everyday problems.)
Earlier, Pulse Asia’s survey showed that De Guzman was a far seventh if elections were held during the polling period, which ran from December 1 to 6, 2021. He only garnered around 0.004 percent of the respondents’ votes.
Despite being optimistic, De Guzman admitted that there is a need for electoral reforms that would level the playing field for candidates, especially those with less resources and those who lack a machinery.
“Ganunpaman, tuwi-tuwinang ipinapakita ng mga survey ang pangangailangan ng mga electoral reforms tungo sa isang ‘level playing field’ upang ang mga lider ng mga samahan ng taumbayan, ay magkakaroon ng ‘fighting chance’ sa mga kandidato ng mga elitista, na mapera, may-pangalan, at pinopondohan ng mga bilyonaryong negosyante,” De Guzman claimed.
(Just the same, the surveys only show that there is a need for electoral reforms to achieve a ‘level playing field’ so that leader of people’s unions can have a fighting chance against the candidates of the elite, those with money, those with names, and who get funding from billionaire businesspeople.)
But he also feels that once the campaign period starts, people would see that how he is different from other candidates — which he hopes is enough to convince people to vote for him.
“Kapag nakita nila ang kaibhan ng kandidatong manggagawa, umaasa akong makukuha ko ang kanilang tiwala’t suporta. Manalig sa masa,” he added.
(If they see the difference with a labor leader-turned candidate, I hope that I can have their trust and support. Let us trust in the masses.)
According to the latest Pulse Asia survey released on Wednesday, former senator Bongbong Marcos leads the presidential race with 53 percent of the respondents picking him. He was followed by Vice President Leni Robredo who got 20 percent of the respondents’ votes, and then Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Senator Manny Pacquiao are at a statistical tie with both getting eight percent.
READ: Pulse Asia’s December survey: Marcos and Duterte-Carpio team is top choice