FORMER House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday called on the voting public to base their choices on how well the 2022 election candidates had governed their jurisdictions, not on their popularity.
“Tingnan mo y’ung lugar nila. Tingnan mo y’ung sakop nila o hawak nila. Interbyuhin mo ang mga taong nakapaligid sa kanila. At kapag nakita mong maganda, eh ‘di totoo,” Cayetano said in an interview with reporters before the distribution of the P10,000 in cash aid per family in Quezon City under his Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program.
(Look at their areas. Look at their jurisdiction. Talk to the people surrounding the candidate. If you see for yourself that what he/she had done was indeed good, then the candidate is truly competent.)
“‘Pag nakita mong hindi, eh magaling lang sa propaganda (If you see otherwise, then he/she is good only with propaganda),” he continued.
He also appealed to the public to scrutinize the candidates through debates on national issues.
“Nae-excite tayo sa mga tandem, sa bangayan, pero hindi tayo nae-excite sa plataporma (We often get excited about the tandems, the smearing, but not about platforms,” Cayetano said.
He encouraged politicians to have a “clear vision” for the country if they decide to participate in the 2022 elections, instead of deciding to run solely due to favorable survey results.
“Ang survey, magandang basehan sa winnability. Pero y’ung ability to govern, hindi mo makikita sa survey y’an,” the former Speaker said.
(Surveys are good indicators of winnability, but hardly tell you about ability to govern.)
He said popularity is part of the challenges of being a politician, but “kung sobra ka namang popular pero hindi ka naman marunong manindigan, baka panalo ka pero kawawa y’ung bayan sa governance (if you are so popular but do not know how to take a stand, you might win at the expense of our country).”
Pressed to reveal his plans for the 2022 elections, he said he is “confident” in his platform and governing, regardless of the political climate.
Cayetano, who has represented Taguig City for four terms, cited how the district became a highly urbanized city through the educational, health, and infrastructure programs implemented under the combined leadership of him, his wife and Taguig City 2nd District Representative Lani Cayetano, and incumbent Mayor Lino Cayetano.
The former Speaker said he is hoping the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) will hold the 2022 national elections in a “fair and honest” manner.
“Walang kikilingan, walang rules na gagawin para paburan ang sinuman (No biases, no rules that will be implemented to favor anyone),” he said. (PR)