Liberal Party presidential candidate Mar Roxas and Sen. Grace Poe. INQUIRER PHOTOS
Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Friday slammed Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas for calling on fellow presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe to unite against a “looming dictatorship.”
In a statement, Bayan chair Renato Reyes said the only unity the country needed was one against the continuation of the administration’s regime and an alleged impending electoral fraud on May 9.
“To Mar Roxas: The only unity we need now is one against the continuation of the failed daang matuwid and the cheating operations of the administration on May 9,” Reyes said, alluding to the administration’s “straight path” anticorruption slogan and reform on good governance.
“It is truly ironic that Mar is calling for unity now when all this time, the Yellow regime has been the main proponent of divisiveness. We call on the people to unite and thwart the maneuvers of the Aquino-LP regime to remain in power,” he added.
In a hastily called press conference at the LP headquarters, Roxas on Friday called on Poe to meet with him as he warned that the country was facing “the possibility of a leader coming to power who cares for nothing about honesty, integrity, transparency, responsibility or even just basic decency.”
“I call for unity. I call for decency. I call for democracy. I call for the rule of law. I call on Sen. Grace Poe, Grace, mag-usap tayo (let’s talk). I will adjust schedules to your convenience. Sabihin mo lang kung saan at kailan at darating ako (Just tell me where and when and I will come),” Roxas said.
Roxas was alluding to poll front-runner Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has maintained a double-digit lead over other presidential candidates in the days leading to May 9. Poe is Duterte’s closest rival based on recent preference surveys.
The trash-talking mayor, known for his iron-fist style of leadership and approach to criminality, is widely criticized for alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and links to the so-called Davao Death Squad.
If elected president, Duterte said he would dump criminals in Manila Bay, pardon himself for mass murder, and abolish Congress if there would be attempts to impeach him. RC
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