Former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (File photos by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Give Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. a chance to prove what he could do as president, but people should not follow him “blindly,” Senator-Elect Alan Peter Cayetano said on Wednesday.
Cayetano, who faced Marcos in the 2016 vice-presidential elections, made the remark shortly after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed him a winner, along with 11 other senatorial bets in the so-called Magic 12.
“He was elected. He’s set to be proclaimed. Give him a chance. Let’s see what he does, and let’s judge it later on. It’s easy to judge him and his family before this — that’s clear,” Cayetano said in a press briefing.
“But now, Filipino have spoken: He’s what we want as president. So let’s judge him based on his actions when he’s already there. But as I was saying, let’s not follow blindly,” he added, speaking in a mix of English and Filipino
In the 2016 vice-presidential campaign, Cayetano called out Marcos in a debate over his latter’s family’s ill-gotten wealth.
Asked about this now, Cayetano maintained his stand on the matter.
“When you have certain principles, they don’t change. They don’t really change. Did I retract?” Cayetano said.
“Having said that, there are issues regarding the Marcos family that will remain, and it’s up to them to answer them. It’s up to you in media to hound them on that,” he added.
Cayetano placed seventh in the senatorial race with 19,295,314 votes.
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