Ka Leody: Shifting bets not new among "political elites"

With less than two months from the May 2022 elections, presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman said the recent maneuvers in “traditional” political parties was not “surprising”.

De Guzman made the remarks Thursday after the Partido Reporma announced it is backing the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.  Earlier in the day, its standard bearer, Senator Panfilo Lacson, resigned from the party and like Robredo, will run as an independent candidate.

But while letting go of Lacson, Partido Reporma, headed by Davao del Norte Representative and former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, said it would continue to support Senate President Vicente Sotto III for vice president.

Sotto is Lacson's running mate.

“Gaya nang sinabi ko sa proclamation rally ng Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), pare-pareho lamang sa kaibuturan ang mga burges na partido,” said De Guzman, who is running under Partido Lakas ng Masa.

“Lahat sila ay kinatawan ng mga elitistang minorya, nag-uusap na lamang paano ang hatian sa mga pribilehiyo’t kapangyarihan kaya’t napakadaling magkampihan at maglalagan. Animo’y nag-aaway subalit pare-parehong nagtatanggol at nagsusulong sa interes ng mga elitista,” he said.

(“Like what I said during the proclamation rally of PLM, the parties of the bourgeoisie are all the same deep down… All of them are embodying the elitist minority. They are all discussing how to divide privilege and power that’s why it is easy for them to form or drop an ally. They may seem to fight but they are all just protecting the interest of the elite.”)

De Guzman said it's time the Filipino people be aware of the political "zarzuela" of the traditional candidates during elections.

“Tapusin na natin ang ganitong panlilinlang. Simulan natin ngayong eleksyon ang pakikialam ng manggagawa’t mamamayan sa usapin ng pagugubyerno,” he said.

(Let’s stop this deception. This election, let’s start having workers and citizens in intervening with governance.)

Early this week, the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi  endorsed the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The other PDP-Laban wing is headed by Senator Manny Pacquiao, who is also running for president, but which the Cusi faction does not recognize.—LDF, GMA News