Luke Espiritu: Competent leaders are from mass movements, not dynasties

Labor leader Luke Espiritu said Saturday that competent leaders do not come from political dynasties but from the mass movements.

Espiritu made the statement during the “Tanong ng Bayan: The GMA Senatorial Face-Off 2025” when asked what he would contribute to the Philippine government despite failing to secure a Senate seat in the 2022 election.

“Politics is not about the ruling class. It is also about those who are ruled. Kung paano sila nakikipag-engage sa ating pampublikong diskurso (How they enagge in public discourse), that's still politics.  And I have been a political leader in the sense that I am a labor leader,” said Espiritu.

"Why recognize only the trapo (traditional politicians) and dynasties as the only ones who have experience in politics? We have experience in leadership, I have been a labor leader for 10 years, isn't that leadership that I can also bring to the Senate?" he added.

Espiritu said the mass movement is rife with people qualified to lead.

"Kung galing ka sa political dynasties, anong napoproduce ng mga leader dyan? Nandyan ang pinaka-incompetent, nandyan ang mga medyo gumagamit lang ng mga budots,walang diskurso, walang katalinuhan na lumalabas sa kanilang bibig. Pero pag tumingin ka sa labor movement, sa mass movement, dyan ang mga pinakamagagaling na leader," he said.

(What kind of leaders do political dynasties produce —those who are incompetent, those who use budots, people without discourse and those lacking intelligence. But look at the labor movement, the mass movement, you will find the best leaders there.)

As president of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Espiritu said he would contribute his 10-year experience as a labor leader to the Senate.

When asked how he would deal with senators belonging to a political dynasty, Espiritu said, “We will force them to commit harakiri by using the power of the Senate," but was not able to explain further due to time constraints

Harakiri is a Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword.

During the filing of candidacy last October 2024, Espiritu declared his opposition to political dynasties. 

Espiritu is pushing for the passage of the Anti-Dynasty Law and an increase in wages. 

He added that he would work on resolving the problems of contractualization and land reforms.—LDF, GMA Integrated News

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