By Jose Oscar Magpusao
Four groups consisting of members from the labor sector, education sector, a number of lawyers and members of the LGBTQIA+ community urged Vice President Leni Robredo to place her bid for the presidency in the upcoming national 2022 elections on Friday.
The four groups launched their campaigns in quick succession throughout the day via Press Conferences streamed on Facebook, namely: the Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni Robredo (All4Leni), consisting of various labor leaders from a number of industries from all across the country; Lawyers for Leni; Leni For You, led by students, teachers, employees, parents and alumni; and the LGBTQIA+ for Leni, consisting of diverse volunteers from the LGBTQIA+ community.
The various groups threw in their support for Robredo to run for President in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections and made their case for why they believe her to be the ideal candidate to lead the country.
All4Leni member and Yellow Bus Liner’s Employees Union Vice President, Dante Villareal, who expressed his frustrations and specifically criticized the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Malala na ang problema ng pampublikong serbisyo sa bansa. Lalo itong pinalala ng COVID-19 na dumagsa ang mga pasyente at hindi handa ang health care system ng bansa. Marami ang namatay na hindi pa nalapatan ng lunas. Ang sipag at pasensya ng mga ating health care workers ay umabot pa sa sukdulan dahil sila pa mismo ay napabayaan ng pamahalaan,” Villareal said.
“Kami naman na frontliners sa industriya ng transportasyon ay pinabalik sa trabaho nang hindi ligtas. Kulang na kulang ang mass testing. Sa bakuna ay ganun din. Kami ay nakipagdigmaan sa daan, manggagawa sa kapwa manggagawa. Manggagawa na nagsisikan sa limitadong pampublikong transportasyon. Kawawang manggagawa, kawawang kababaihan na nadagdagan pa lalo ng responsibilidad, sa bahay at sa online classes ng mga bata. Kulang na nga ang ayuda, kulang pa ang pampublikang transportasyon. Ang resulta ay gutom, pero marami sa pondo ay hindi nagastos,” he added.
He ended by stating the need for change to prevent similar shortcomings and advocated that the Vice President would be a good leader for said change.
Co-Convenor and Spokesperson for Dapat Si Leni Atty. Alvin Clyde Gregorio also gave his statements during the Lawyers for Leni Virtual Launch and shared what he thought people should look for in a leader, giving his support for Robredo.
“We do not need to settle for the lesser evil, especially during the pandemic. These are trying times and we need a leader who shows compassion, respects human rights, respects the rule of law and not a president who only sees the citizens as law violators and uses militaristic means as an answer to everything, even when it doesn’t make sense anymore,” Atty. Gregorio said.
“Prior to running for public office, she had been actively involved in cases championing the marginalized and those from the fringes of society so in terms of this paradigm shift, Leni Robredo will inspire trust and confidence in the rule of law,” he added.
The LGBTQIA+ for Leni also showed their support for Robredo, describing her as a leader that “has always been there” for them “but never got the chance to lead.” The community is adamant that violence and abuse against their community would come to an end under Robredo’s leadership.
Lastly, the Leni for You continued the trend and emphasized the Vice President’s dedication to the Filipino people during the pandemic.
These events saw the voices of many more members of these communities heard, all urging Robredo to run for the presidency and sharing the ways she can prove to be a boon to the country as its leader.
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