Makabayan bloc pins hopes on Leni-Kiko defeating Marcos-Duterte

The Makabayan bloc said the tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan stood out as the "real opposition" to former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in the May elections.

The Makabayan bloc made the statement as they declared their support for Robredo and Pangilinan.

"Sa panahong nananalasa ang mga pwersa ng tiraniya, at nais manumbalik ang mga tagapagmana ng diktador, sina Leni at Kiko ang tumindig bilang tunay na pwersang oposisyon. Kinakatawan nila ngayon ang pinakamahusay na tsansa natin para biguin ang tambalang Marcos-Duterte," the opposition coalition said in a statement.

(At a time when the forces of tyranny were raging and the heirs of dictators wanted to return, Leni and Kiko stood as the real opposition forces. They currently represent our best chance to defeat the Marcos-Duterte tandem.)

"Ang mga komon na tindig sa isyu, ang naging track record ng mga kandidato, at ang napakahalagang laban para biguin ang tambalang Marcos-Duterte, ang naging batayan ng Makabayan para pormal na suportahan sina Leni Robredo at Kiko Pangilinan," the Makabayan bloc added.

(Our common stand on issues, the track record of the candidates, and the crucial fight to defeat the Marcos-Duterte tandem, were the basis for Makabayan to formally support Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan.)

Among the issues the bloc identified were the advancement of scientific and humanitarian response to the pandemic, the passage of security of tenure law, and farmers' welfare.

The opposition coalition said they also support Robredo and Pangilinan's stand on human rights, resistance to dictatorship, assertion of sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, and their aim to have a just and lasting peace in the country.

Robredo and Pangilinan have expressed their gratitude to the Makabayan coalition for their support.

In a statement, the vice president's spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez, said Robredo and Pangilinan will be ready to work with the Makabayan bloc. 

"Hudyat ang kaganapang ito ng mas matinding pagsisikap at mas malalim na pagsasama tungo sa katuparan ng mas malalawak na layuning nagbibigkis sa napakaraming Pilipino: Ang wakasan ang bulok na uri ng pulitika na ugat ng gutom, kahirapan, at pagkamatay ng marami sa ating kababayan; at ang pagtatalaga, kapalit nito ng isang pamunuang matino, mahusay makatarungan, at magtutuon ng buo nitong lakas sa pag-aangat ng buhay ng Pilipino, lalo na ng mga nasa laylayan," Gutierrez said.

(This development signals greater efforts and deeper integration towards the fulfillment of broader goals that unify many Filipinos: to end the rotten kind of politics that caused the hunger, poverty, and death of many of our countrymen; and the installation of a good and competent leadership that will focus its full energy on uplifting the lives of Filipinos, especially those on the margins.) —VBL, GMA News