Philippine presidency hopefuls open campaigns

Manila, Feb. 9 (BNA): The presidential election campaign in the Philippines began on Tuesday with a batch of candidates, all vowing to save a country pushed into poverty by the pandemic and plagued by inequality and decades-old insurgencies.

The official three-month campaign for national offices, including separately elected president and vice president and half of the 24-seat Senate, began under strict anti-virus restrictions, including bans on handshakes, kisses and hugs and heavily packed crowds aimed at quelling gatherings. The carnival-like feature that was the hallmark of the Philippine elections.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that social media has become a major battleground in the May 9 election due to the restrictions many fear disinformation will exacerbate in an intense race.

Candidates for more than 18,000 local positions, including county governors, mayors and House of Representatives seats, open their campaigns on March 25 under heavy police scrutiny due to a history of violent rivalries. More than 65 million Filipinos are registered to vote in the country and another 1.8 million Filipinos abroad.

Presidential candidates waved from convoys decorated with huge pictures of themselves to thousands of jubilant followers. The day-long campaign ended with night marches that included speeches, music and dancing.

Ferdinand “Bong Pong” Marcos Jr. has led pre-election polls by a wide margin, alarming advocates of human rights and democracy, including Vice President Leni Robredo.

Robredo narrowly beat Marcos Jr. in the 2016 vice-presidential race, but is far behind in recent polls for the presidential race, despite human rights atrocities and corruption during his father’s tenure that he has called “lies”.

In a speech to thousands of supporters at a sports arena north of Manila, Marcos Jr. did not address the allegations against him and his family, instead calling for unity during the pandemic and economic hard times. “Let’s unite the whole Philippines,” he said. “All of us will rise together again.”

Robredo asked the Filipinos to help her pursue major political reforms. “This is an opportunity for us to change the direction of politics in our country,” she said at a rally in her hometown. “Even if there was a name change, nothing would happen if our corrupt political system remained the same.”

Other major contenders include Manila Mayor Isco Moreno, a former actor who has impressed many with his life story from poverty to power and the cleanup of the capital, Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former national police chief known for his exploits against crime and corruption, and Senator Manny Pacquiao, a former boxing star who pledged By imprisoning corrupt politicians and providing free homes to the poor.

MI