Duterte makes pitch for mix of characters at Senate

SALESMAN President Duterte tells his audience in Laguna not to vote for “inutile” senatorial candidates at a rally where he paraded his Senate ticket, including folk singer Freddie Aguilar. -CHRIS QUINTANA/CONTRIBUTOR

Parading a team of senatorial candidates that included folk singer Freddie Aguilar, President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday asked voters to reject current senators and other candidates he described as “inutile” and who do nothing at the Senate but talk a lot, often against him.

The President made the pitch for the ticket of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) at a rally of the ruling party in the town of Biñan, Laguna province.

Taking a swipe at critics, the President, who was carried by PDP-Laban in the 2016 elections, said opposition candidates had nothing to offer but criticism against his administration.

He said opposition candidates talk against him only to be remembered by the electorate.

“What have they done? Only talk,” the President said of opposition candidates for senator.

Extraordinary

“Have they done something extraordinary that makes you say that you have to reelect them to the Senate?” he said.

He did not identify who he was referring to, but said the candidates he was endorsing were the opposite of those in the opposition.

At least four candidates of PDP-Laban are incumbent senators—Koko Pimentel, Cynthia Villar, Sonny Angara and JV Ejercito.

One, Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, is seeking to return to the Senate.

The other members of the PDP-Laban’s Senate ticket were Maguindanao Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu, former Philippine National Police chief Bato dela Rosa, former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, former presidential political adviser Francis Tolentino, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III, a late addition to the ticket.

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The President said voters had a penchant for those who put on a “common folk” image to become an idol.

“You should idolize the real ones,” said the President.

“Idolize those who did something for our country,” he said.

He added that it would be a voter’s “mortal sin” to pick an inutile candidate.

“I brought before you the real candidates, the true ones,” he said.

“I will not campaign for them if there was anything wrong with them,” he added.

At the sidelines of the rally, Pimentel said he felt the PDP-Laban ticket was strong in Laguna.

The President, according to Pimentel, was happy about the turnout during the rally despite tight security measures at the venue, Alonte Sports Arena.

Laguna Gov. Ramil Hernandez, formerly with the Liberal Party, said all but one mayor in the province supported the PDP-Laban ticket.

Special mention

The President made special mention of five candidates — Mangudadatu, Dela Rosa, Go, Pimentel and Tolentino.

Dela Rosa, the Duterte administration’s first police chief, was “fundamentally honest,” according to the President.

Go, the President ’s closest aide, was “hardworking,” the President said.

On stage, Aguilar spent most of his time singing.

In jest, the President introduced Ejercito as “Jinggoy,” the incumbent senator’s half-brother who is facing plunder charges for the theft of pork barrel funds, and is out on bail.

Jinggoy and another prominent figure in the pork barrel scam, actor Bong Revilla, had been dropped from the PDP-Laban list of senatorial candidates.

The President, who is halfway through his term, said he had delivered most of his campaign promises like raising police pay, free education and universal health care system.

The President said eradicating corruption and ending the drug problem remained his top concerns.

On Marcos, the President said she should not share the burden of accusations hurled at her father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.