Leody de Guzman: PH did not improve much under Cory, Gloria

Senatorial aspirant Leody De Guzman stood by his claim that the Philippines did not improve much during the presidencies of Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

At the "Tanong ng Bayan: The GMA Senatorial Face-Off 2025," De Guzman was asked if he still holds the same belief from 2022— that drew criticisms over perceived misogyny.  

"Naninindigan pa rin ako sa aking sinabi dahil ang sitwasyon ng mga manggagawa at ng ating mga mamamayan sa kasalukuyan ang patunay na walang napala ang mga mamamayan sa panahon na nagpalit-palit ang gobyerno lalo na sa panahon ni Cory Aquino,” he said.

(I still stand by what I said because the current situation of the workers and our citizens is proof that the citizens did not gain anything during the time that the government changed, especially during the time of Cory Aquino.)

To recall, the labor leader posted this statement on social media — “Ayaw ko nang maulit ang masamang karanasan ng pagsuporta ng taong bayan kay Cory laban kay Marcos at kay Gloria laban naman kay Erap. Walang napala ang taong bayan. Nagpatuloy lang mga kahirapan at kaapihan ng mamamayan.”

(I don't want to repeat the bad experience of the people supporting Cory [Aquino] against Marcos [Ferdinand  Sr.] and Gloria [Macapagal-Arroyo] against Erap [Joseph Estrada]. The people of the country did not gain anything. The hardships and oppression of the people continued.)

De Guzman said he still holds the same belief as the situation of Filipinos became even more difficult at the hands of former President Corazon Aquino.

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He pointed out that during her presidency, it was the root cause of the contractualization, Herrera Law, Value Added Tax (VAT), and privatization of public service.

“Sa panahon ni Cory, diyan naganap ang kontraktwalisasyon. Dati ang patakaran ay regularisasyon pero sa panahon ni Cory, naging kontraktual ang maraming mga manggagawa dahil siya ang nagpatupad,” he said.

(In Cory's time, that's where contractualization took place. Before, the policy was regularization, but during Cory's time, many workers became contractual because she implemented it.)

“Yung Herrera Law. Diyan din nangyari ang provincial rate. Bakit nangyari na ang ating sahod ng mga manggagawa sa probinsya ay mas maliit kaysa sa Metro Manila,” he noted.

(The Herrera Law. The provincial rate also happened there. Why did it happen that our workers' wages in the province are smaller than those in Metro Manila?)

With these factors, he said Filipinos have not benefited from the past women leaders— as it only gave Filipinos a hard time.

“‘Yung VAT sa kanya nagmula, ‘yung privatization ng sektor ng serbisyo sa kanya nagsimula. Ito'y masama dahil ang nangyari, dapat serbisyo naging negosyo dahil ipinaubaya sa mga malaking kapitalista ang sektor ng serbisyo,” De Guzman added.

(The VAT came from her, and the privatization of the service sector started from her. This isn't good because what happened was that service turned into business. After all, the service sector was left to the big capitalists.)

De Guzman ran for the Senate in 2019 and for the presidency in 2022 with a platform anchored on workers' rights. For the May 2025 polls, he is once again eyeing a seat in the Senate.

He said he wants to sit in the Senate especially the former politicians who have been in office again and again have not done anything to solve the problems of the Filipino masses.

“Kung ano yung problema ang hinihingi ng mga manggagawang Pilipino noon, hanggang ngayon, problema pa rin. Kaya yun ang nagtulak sa akin irepresenta ang interes ng mga manggagawa sa Senado,” he said.

(What was the problem that the Filipino workers demanded then, until now, is still a problem. So that's what pushed me to represent the interests of the workers in the Senate.)

With this view, De Guzman was asked if the EDSA People Power Revolution was pointless.

The 1986 People Power Revolution is one of the most pivotal moments in Philippine history and perhaps the single most influential event that shaped the country's current political scene. This resulted in the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and catapulted Cory Aquino to the presidency. 

According to the labor leader, the EDSA revolution still showed what unity is.

“Tama yang People Power, dahil napatunayan ng mga mangagawa na kapag nagkaisa ang mga Pilipino, kahit ang pinaka-diktador na presidente sa ating bansa ay kayang patalsikin. Ang problem lang ang mga pangako ng noong EDSA ay hindi nanganap,” he said.

(People Power is right, it proved that once Filipinos unite-- even the most dictatorial president can be taken down his seat. But the problem is that the promises were not fulfilled.)

The GMA Senatorial Face-Off was attended by 12 senatorial aspirants competing for Eleksyon 2025. — RSJ/VBL, GMA Integrated News

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The headline article was updated minutes after initial publication, to better reflect the subject’s statements in the debate. Our apologies.

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.