Opposition bares 8 Senate wannabes
The opposition coalition on Wednesday formally presented the eight members of its Senate slate for the 2019 elections.
Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo officially endorsed the “Opposition 8” — former Interior and Local Government secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd; Sen. Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino 4th, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, De La Salle University Law Dean Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, Marawi civic leader Samira Gutoc, former House deputy speaker Erin Tañada and veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal.
“Iba iba po ang paraan ng ating pakikipaglaban. Maraming nagsasabi natutulog ang oposisyon, ngunit buhay na buhay po ang oposisyon (We have different ways of fighting. A lot of people are saying that the opposition has remained silent, but the opposition is alive),” Robredo said in her speech before residents of Parang, Marikina City, where the official launch took place.
Robredo, who heads the Liberal Party that is leading the coalition, urged the public not to be swayed by “sweet words” and consider the track record and experience of candidates running in the mid-term elections.
Diokno, the son of former Justice Secretary Jose Diokno, is a human rights lawyer who vows to strengthen the justice system, having experienced the injustice of Martial Law himself when his father was arrested under the administration of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
Gutoc, a former member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), aims to be the first woman senator from Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, who can bring voice to the Muslim women and youth from Mindanao.
Macalintal, who was introduced as “Mr. Senior Citizen,” said he would push for increased privileges of senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWD) in his Senate run.
Despite his absence in the event, Roxas was introduced as an official part of the Senate slate after undergoing “examination of conscience and discernment.”
Tañada, also a former lawmaker, said he would fight for the causes of consumers, informal sectors, workers, farmers and small entrepreneurs.
Hilbay was known for successfully defending the country’s claim over the South China Sea, and was one of the lawyers who took on cases involving opposition senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes 4th.
Alejano is also a staunch critic of the administration and was among the leaders who staged the Oakwood mutiny in 2003 with then navy officer Trillanes, who is facing revived coup d’etat charges at a local court.
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