By Erma Edera
A former deputy speaker and three-time Quezon representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for the 2019 senatorial race at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday.
Erin Tañada (MANILA BULLETIN)
Tañada who is running under the Liberal Paety admitted that it was a challenge for him to run under the opposition.
“It is challenging, I would admit, but I welcome the challenge,” he said.
However, he claimed that his ‘brand of politics’ which has been brought by his father and grandfather is needed in the Senate at this time.
He is the son of former Sen. Wigberto Tañada, who was one of the 12 senators who voted to oust the US bases in the country in 1992.
Lorenzo Tañada, his grandfather, was also a former senator and a martial law activist.
One of his priority measures is strengthening the agricultural sector.
“Paano natin lulutasin ang kahirapan? Kailangan may trabaho. Yung mga magsasaka, hanggang ngayon mahihirap pa rin. Kailangan palakasin ang sektor ng pagsasaka,” (How can we resolve poverty? The farmers are still poor. We need to strengthen the agricultural sector), he said.
Tañada also said that he will push for policies to end contractualization and promote freedom of information.
Sen. Bam Aquino and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, who are also in the senatorial slate of LP filed their COC on Tuesday.
However, the three senatorial bets under LP were not among the top 12 preferred senatorial bets in a Pulse Asia survey released last month.