Alyansa bets: Support for Duterte, Marcos are two different things

MANILA, Philippines — Supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte and incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should be taken as two different things, several Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidates said on Tuesday.

In different ambush interviews after the press briefing in Pasay City, Senator Francis Tolentino, Deputy Speaker Camille Villar, former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, and former senator Manny Pacquiao were asked about how they manage Marcos’ positioning in contrast to how they were linked to Duterte.

During the first three campaign sorties of the Alyansa, Marcos described their candidates as not being involved in bloody drug war, the proliferation of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), and China’s abuse of fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea—issues hurled at the Duterte administration.

READ: Marcos: Vote 12-0 for Alyansa if you don’t want PH’s bloody past

According to Sotto and Tolentino, support for Duterte and Marcos can be considered as two different things.

“Well, that’s… Ano ’yan, eh, those are two issues, eh. Kasi, kung may kaibigan ka dati, kaibigan mo naman, hanggang ngayon naman kaibigan mo naman, eh. Kaya lang ikaw ay kinukuha para makatulong, para makatulong sa bansa, hindi naman para sa kung sinong pulitiko, I don’t see anything wrong,” Sotto said.

(Well, that’s (different). These are two issues. Because for example, if you have a friend before, up to now he is still your friend. So when you are called to help, help the country and not just any politician, I don’t see anything wrong.)

“Why? You think, ano, na dapat eh ’ika nga may dividing line between the old administration and now? (Why? You think, there should be a dividing line between the old administration and now?) We’ve been together before, we’ve been friends before. President Marcos, when President Marcos was senator, we worked together for six years. We’ve known each other. And we were tapped to join the slate,” he added.

Tolentino said that what the President says in his speeches is that the Alyansa bets are supportive of his policies.

“There has to be a demarcation line, a dichotomy between when the last presidency stopped, and when the succeeding presidency started. So these are two administrations, so if you’re looking at continuity iba ’yon. If you’re looking at different policies, siguro ’yon ’yon,” Tolentino said.

“So what the incumbent President is saying is that the alliance’s state is supportive of the current President’s policies. Plain as you call, ‘yong sinabi niya, ’yong China, ’yong sa Pogo (Plain as you call, what he said about China and the Pogo.),” he added.

Marcos started throwing jabs at Duterte at the proclamation rally in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, when he said that the Alyansa candidates are not tainted by Oplan Tokhang, or the past administration’s anti-drug campaign.

“Tignan niyo po ang record ng ating mga kandidato: Wala sa kanila ang may bahid ng dugo dahil sa ‘tokhang,’” Marcos said. “Wala sa kanila ang kasabwat sa pagbulsa ng sako-sakong pera, pinagsamantalahan ang krisis ng pandemya, pinabayaan ang ating mga kababayan na magkasakit at mamatay.”

(Look at the records of our candidates. None of them have been stained with the blood of “tokhang’. None of them are accomplices in pocketing sacks of money, exploiting the pandemic crisis, and letting our countrymen get sick and die.)

READ: Marcos on admin slate: They’re not tainted by tokhang, Pogo, pro-China https://www.inquirer.net/428405/marcos-on-admin-slate-theyre-not-tainted-by-tokhang-pogo-pro-china-2

Marcos also urged voters to go straight for Alyansa — voting 12-0 — if they do not want the Philippines to return to its bloody past.

Pacquiao said that he does not understand why people should not support the Marcos administration when it has good programs for the poor—adding that the country should deviate from overly criticizing elected officials.

“Maganda ’yong programa naman ang Alyansa, anong masama doon na magbigay ng trabaho, sustainable livelihood sa mga pamilya, napakaganda no’n ah? ’Yon ang hinahanap ng mga mahirap na tao, bakit hindi natin (susuportahan)?” he asked.

(The programs of the Alyansa are good, what is wrong with giving jobs, sustainable livelihood for poor Filipinos, that’s good, right? That is what the people are looking for, why won’t we support it?)

“Lagi naman tayong ganoon na kaya nga sabi ko nananawagan ako sa buong bayan na magkaisa tayo, ’wag tayo na kung sino ang nakaupo may mag-criticize, mula pa noon hanggang ngayon ’yon ang naging kalakaran na eh,” he added.

(We are always like that, that’s why I am calling on the people to unite, let us refrain from criticizing those who are in office, we have been doing that for a long time so much so that it is ingrained in our system.)

Villar on the other hand said she does not want to mix politics in her campaign.

“My campaign is focused on just expressing my message to the people. I don’t like to add politics to it,” she noted.

Several of Duterte’s allies have called out Marcos, like Sen. Ronald dela Rosa who said these comments are uncalled for.

“Uncalled for, unexpected for a President. We do not expect it, but okay, we accept that this is a political season so we expect political bashing,” Dela Rosa said.