Ka Leody should not be discriminated against

THE Partido Lakas ng Masa recently issued a short statement reacting to the pre-recorded “The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews,” which aired on Saturday, January 22. The statement reads:

“#PatasNaLaban! We are gravely concerned about the exclusion of Ka Leody de Guzman from the presidential interviews of Jessica Soho and Boy Abunda, to be broadcast by GMA7 and ABS-CBN, respectively. If the media only covers candidates supported by billionaires, then working-class Filipinos have no chance at all. By keeping Ka Leody out of sight, they keep his ratings low. Our elections will continue to belong to the rich and powerful.”

The statement ended with, “We demand that all media outfits help reform our elections by interviewing Ka Leody and including him — and VP candidate Walden Bello — in all electionrelated interviews and events.”

According to GMA Network, they only invited the top five ranking candidates based on pre-election surveys. However, Bongbong Marcos, Jr. declined this invitation because of the perception that “the hostess of [the] popular talk show is biased against the Marcoses.” Hence, only four candidates showed up: Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

I have nothing against Ms. Soho. In fact, she reaped praises from the viewers for her no-holds-barred questioning of the four presidential candidates. I salute Ms. Soho for her tough stance toward these presidential hopefuls.

The sentiments of the peasant group, which supports the candidacy of Leody de Guzman for the position of president, are anchored on the belief that de Guzman was discriminated against and excluded by the broadcast network. This does have a sensible basis. If the program was, indeed, designed to accommodate the five highest-ranking candidates, and one of them opted out, then the next in line — Ka Leody de Guzman — should have been chosen to fill in the vacancy.

Likewise, in the interest of fairness, all 10 official candidates for the highest position of the land should have been invited. If any presidential candidate declined the invitation, then it’s that candidate’s call. Why set a limit in the first place?

Finally, if pre-election surveys are to be believed, then why hold elections at all? Again, I reiterate that unscientific pre-election surveys tend to mislead the voting public and create a false sense of the political situation. In my Nov. 27, 2021 column, I asked, “How could 1,200 respondents (the usual choice of the survey firms) represent the 62 million registered voters spread throughout the 42,046 barangays in the country and voting in 389,703 separate polling precincts?”

Ka Leody at ‘Diretsong Pananaw’

I had the opportunity to talk to Ka Leody for almost an hour in the Manila Times TV’s show, “Diretsong

Pananaw.” Indeed, the character of a candidate cannot be revealed through advertisements and propaganda. Rather, it is exposed when you directly discuss issues with that person, and that’s what happened during our interview.

Being a unionist and labor rights activist, Ka Leody’s two major campaign platforms are raising the minimum wage and abolishing contractualization. These labor issues form part of the systemic change he wishes to effect in the country if he were elected president.

His compassion for the workers, whose benefits he had fought for in decades-long battles, is in his heart. His past actions and pro-labor performance in his own private capacity have defined his character.

For the record, I am not campaigning for Ka Leody. My point is simple — give this man a chance, and don’t discriminate against him.

Dra. Minguita Padilla

“Lilinaw ang kinabukasan ng bayan.” This is one of the campaign slogans being used by Dra. Minguita Padilla, who is running for a seat in the Senate in the 2022 elections. Dra. Padilla is an ophthalmologist-turned-health advocate, and she is now heeding the request of various medical groups to seek an elective post.

Dra. Padilla is one of the three official candidates for senator of the Partido Reporma party. The other two are retired Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar and former actor/athlete/representative Monsour del Rosario.

She is the founder and president of Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines Inc., a nongovernmental organization that has been leading efforts for the procurement, processing and distribution of corneas and eye tissues since 1994. She is also one of the convenors of Doctors for Truth and Public Welfare, advocating for a corruption-free health care system for Filipinos.

Even with all the accomplishments under her belt and the accolades bestowed on her, Dr. Padilla is still considered one of the underdogs in the Senate race. She does not belong to a political dynasty, she is not an actor or famous athlete, and she never occupied a lofty government position before.

Like Ka Leody, she deserves to be given an equal media chance to share her platform and advocacies. We must work to give justice to these under-appreciated candidates.

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