Presidential candidate Leody de Guzman (Photo from his Facebook page)
MANILA, Philippines — Amid shifting endorsements between political parties as election day draws near, presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman on Thursday urged voters to wake up and put an end to this “deception,” as these parties represent “elite minorities who did not take into consideration the masses.”
Such sudden changes, according to de Guzman, should not even come as a surprise for parties that view principles and platforms as “mere decoration to garner votes and make decisions based on the personal and political interests of the politicians and businessmen behind them.”
“Pare-pareho lamang sa kaibuturan ang mga burges na partido. Lahat sila ay kinatawan ng mga elitistang minorya, nag-uusap na lamang paano ang hatian sa mga pribilehiyo’t kapangyarihan kaya’t napakadaling magkampihan at maglalagan,” he said in a statement.
(The bourgeois parties are only equal in depth. They are all representatives of the elitist minorities, just talking about how to divide the privileges and power which is why it’s so easy for them to take sides and drop each other.)
“Animo’y nag-aaway subalit pare-parehong nagtatanggol at nagsusulong sa interes ng mga elitista,” he added.
(They might seem to be fighting but they are equally defending and advancing the interests of the elites.)
De Guzman also said that none of these political parties even took into account the state of the masses.
“Kahit nga konsultahin ang masa ay hindi nila magawa, sapagkat hindi tayo kasali sa mga kanilang partido. Mga partido ng binubuo ng mga pulitiko’t burukrata mula sa pambansa hanggang sa lokal na antas,” he added.
(They cannot even consult the masses, because we are not part of their parties. Parties made up of politicians and bureaucrats from the national to the local level.)
Because of this, he appealed to the public to start seeing what he called a fake conflict of the elitist “trapos” (traditional politicians) and put a stop to their duplicity.
“Tapusin na natin ang ganitong panlilinlang. Simulan natin ngayong eleksyon ang pakikialam ng manggagawa’t mamamayan sa usapin ng pagugubyerno,” said de Guzman.
(Let’s put an end to this deception. Let us begin this election with the interference of the workers and the people in the matter of governance.)
“Itaguyod ang bagong pulitikang nag-uusap ng katapatan sa mga plataporma’t paninindigan hindi lamang sa mga indibidwal na personalidad,” he added.
(Promote a new politics that speaks allegiance to platforms and stances not just to individual personalities.)
The labor leader added that as taxpayers, it is the citizens who create wages, profits, rents, and interests that drive the state and society. Hence, he said, workers of society must be listened to and obeyed.
“Iyan ang tunay na demokrasya. Manggagawa naman. Tayo naman,” said de Guzman.
(That is true democracy. It is the workers’ turn. It is our turn.)
Since earlier this week, prominent political parties have aligned or shifted coalitions to either Bongbong Marcos or Leni Robredo.
The PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and backed by President Rodrigo Duterte had announced their support for the presidential bid of Marcos while Partido Reporma – under which presidential bet Senator Panfilo Lacson is running – now endorsed Robredo for president.
Lacson stepped down as Partido Reporma’s chairman earlier Thursday before Partido Reporma president Pantaleon Alvarez announced the party’s support to Robredo.
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