Militant lawmaker channels Duterte, spews curses vs elite rule

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Country or self?

That was the question posed by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Thursday during the National People’s Summit at UP Diliman in Quezon City.

Zarate opened the summit, which presented the 15-point program that encapsulated the demands of the militants to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Militants present 15-point program for Duterte’s first 100 days

His fiery speech was punctuated with some interjections of “sons of b******” directed against elite rulers who have controlled the country’s political and economic system for decades–a style reminiscent to what the firebrand incoming President has done in previous public speeches.

Zarate spewed the curse words at the height of his speech, demanding that outgoing President Benigno Aquino III and his cohorts be jailed for their omissions.

“Nananawagan tayo–at ito ay isang pinaka-importante panawagan–nananawagan tayo na dapat managot si Aquino, Abad, Purisima at iba pang ungas na heneral at mga opisyal. P***** i**** mga cacique at mapang-api, dapat silang makulong! Hindi puwedeng sila na lang palagi, kaya palagi nating sinisigaw, bayan o sarili?” Zarate said.

(This is a very important call that we’re making; we’re calling for Aquino, Abad, Purisima and the other fools who are generals and officials. You sons of b****** and oppressors, you need to go to jail! It shouldn’t always be about them, that’s why we always say, country or self?)

But he was quick to apologize for his remarks, saying that he cannot copy the style of the tough-talking Davao City mayor.

“Pagpasensiyahan niyo po ‘yun. Mukhang ‘di ko talaga kayang gayahin lahat ng sinasabi ni Pangulong Digong (Forgive me. It seems I can’t copy everything President Duterte says),” Zarate said.

“Huwag ho kayong mag-alala, bukas ho mag-metamorphose na ang Presidente Digong (Don’t worry, President Duterte will metamorphose tomorrow),” he added.

The militant lawmaker also warned in his speech about “conservative” groups and forces with vested interests that will try to block the pro-people programs of Duterte.

During the summit, the People’s Agenda for Change–which contains the list of demands to Duterte–was given to allies of the national democratic movement such as incoming Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and incoming Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo.

The People’s Agenda is divided into five topics: economic development; social policy; peace and human rights; governance and democracy; and foreign policy and sovereignty. AJH/JE