“We are encouraged to actively participate in the forthcoming elections to push forward the aspirations and the solutions that we believe are answers to the prevailing problems of poverty due to landlessness, lack of decent jobs, graft and corruption and the domination of foreign policies in our system of government,” Joel Virador, former Bayan Muna Representative
By ALEX D. LOPEZ
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — With the approval of 13 party-list groups that have nominees coming from families of incumbent politicians, genuine representation of marginalized sectors is still a long shot under the current party-list system.
This was the contention of former Bayan Muna (People First) Party-list Representative Joel Virador who said these families consider party-list organizations as their corporations. He added that because of this mindset, as party-list nominees or as representatives should they win seats in Congress, they cannot be expected to contribute to a “genuine agenda to alleviate the people’s suffering and answer the need for real economic and political reforms.”
Despite the perceived failures of the party-list system, progressive party-list groups like Bayan Muna remain unfazed and, 10 years after it was formed, has mushroomed and given birth to other party-list groups. These groups have now bonded together under the Makabayan coalition, the local counterpart of which convened last November 29.
In his opening remarks during the Davao-wide convention of the Makabayan (Patriotic) coalition, Virador said that election is among the “important avenues of people’s struggle.”
“We are encouraged to actively participate in the forthcoming elections to push forward the aspirations and the solutions that we believe are answers to the prevailing problems of poverty due to landlessness, lack of decent jobs, graft and corruption and the domination of foreign policies in our system of government,” Virador told the convention participants.
More than 8,000 thousand individuals coming from different districts and villages here flocked to the gymnasium of the University of South Eastern Philippines in Obrero for the convention of the political coalition.
Under the theme “Pagbabago para sa Pilipino. Pilipino para sa Pagbabago (Change for the Filipinos, Filipinos for Change),” the Makabayan coalition presented its party-list groups that had expanded from seven to nine.
Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Act-Teachers, Katribu and Akapbata joined the electoral contest in 2010 but only five made it to Congress. Katribu and Akapbata failed to secure enough votes. For the 2013 elections, the Commission on Election also gave the green light to Migrante and Piston.
Migrante will represent overseas Filipino workers while Piston will bring the voices of jeep operators and drivers to the halls of congress.
Virador stressed that Makabayan as a party must be present in both lower and upper chambers of Congress, in the executive branch of the government and even in the local policy-making body of Davao City in order to attain immediate solutions to the pressing problems that the country faces.
Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño also graced the occasion and vowed to continue his advocacy and carry on the voices of the poor and the marginalized sectors of the society.
He said he will push for measures to make basic needs affordable to people, institute programs that will generate decent jobs and advocate for good governance.
“Mababang presyo, dagdag na trabaho at mabuting gobyerno. Ito ang sinasabi nating pagbabago at ito ang ating ipinaglalaban (Lower prices, additional jobs and good governance. This is the change that we advocate and campaign for),” Casiño said to the supporters and members of Makabayan coalition.
He added that he had been the voice of the poor and the marginalized sectors in Congress for the past eight years as Bayan Muna representative.
Casiño called on the participants to allow him to continue his advocacy up to the halls of the Senate.
“My term will end yet marami pa tayong ilalaban. Ang ating ipinaglaban sa kongreso ay itutuloy natin sa senado (My term is about to end and there is still a lot to fight for. What we fought for in Congress, we shall continue in the Senate),” Casiño said. (Alex D. Lopez/davaotoday.com)
