(Editor’s Note: With a little less than a month before the mid-term elections in May, INQUIRER.net has decided to deviate from the usual platform interviews of senatorial and local candidates that have been aired and written about and instead get to know them up close and, perhaps a little more personal, as we hope so will you our dear readers. The series of interviews will be posted on our special election site, Vote 2013 under INQuest. Is the exercise meant to make these candidates look good? Definitely not. But we enjoin you to watch and listen and let your candidates tell their stories because, believe it or not, their stories are ours as well.)
MANILA, Philippines – Despite being 77 years old, the second oldest senatorial candidate in the May 2013 elections, and instead of retiring or resting, lawyer-teacher Samson Alcantara wants to bring his expertise and wisdom to the Senate to wage a battle against political dynasties and to make “social justice” a reality instead of just being a slogan.
Alcantara, a native of the province of Abra, cited former senator Quintin Paredes as his role model for becoming a lawyer. Paredes later took him in after he passed the bar to work in his law firm and from there on he learned to specialize in labor law.
A law professor for most of his life, he said that he wants to continue working instead of retiring or resting believing that “if you cease to do something, you die, if you cease to aspire, you’re dead.”
He also believes that the Senate should be composed of older men with experience and that being old does not mean he should give into the mentality that just because he’s old, he can no longer contribute anything to society and nation building.
Alcantara said that he does not want to just rest because he thinks that the “worst problem that can happen is when a person no longer has any problem.”
When it comes to the legislative work that he wants to do in the Senate, Alcantara said he would file a bill against political dynasties. He believes political dynasties are the biggest threat to his platform of “social justice.”
He said he will also push for the creation of a teachers’ code that will improve the welfare of teachers in the country and at the same time improve the quality of education.
Alcantara also said that he is against celebrities such as movie and television stars who continue acting after they run and win in an election. He said that when they are elected “they should stop from their profession.”