Riders’ Safety Advocates of the Philippines (RSAP) founder Bonifacio Bosita confidently declared on Sunday afternoon, April 4, that he would win a seat in Congress through party-list representation had he chosen to run in 2022.
"Hindi naman po ibig sabihin na ako ay nagyayabang, at sinasamantala ko yung situation. Kung ako sir ay tatakbong party-list (congressman), sigurado po ako, 100 percent, mananalo ako (It doesn't mean that I'm boasting or taking advantage of the situation. But sir, if I will run for party-list, I'm 100 percent sure I would win)," Bosita said in a video message posted on the RSAP Facebook page.
The 22-minute long video message was directed at Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic czar Edison Bong Nebrija, with whom he is engaged in an online debate with regarding whether or not motorcycle back-riders should be ticketed for wearing slippers instead of shoes.
Nebrija, in a March 7 Facebook rant, had alleged that Bosita--who has a huge following on social media--was merely using MMDA enforcers and the riding community for his political gain.
“Huwag mong gamitin ang mga pobreng enforcer namin sa pamumulitika mo. Ginagamit mo lang ang riding community para sa political advancement mo, pwede ba? (Don’t use our hapless enforcers in your politicking. You’re just using the riding community for your political advancement),” he wrote.
But Bosita clarified Sunday that he had no such plans.
"Wala po akong plano. Dahil kung may plano sir ako, dapat napaghandaan ko po ang party-list . For the information of everybody, wala pong RSAP Party-List sa darating na national elections (I don't have plans to run. Because if I did, sir, I should have prepared for the party-list race. For the information of everybody, there will be no RSAP Party-List in the coming national elections)," bared the retired police colonel-turned-content creator.
The filing of petitions for registration of party-list organizations that intend to run in the 2022 polls lapsed last March 31. Winning a party-list seat in the House of Representatives makes the party-list nominee, in this case Bosta, a congressman or a national level-lawmaker.
Bosita In the same video message claimed that his advocacy for rider safety was just that--an advocacy, and not a launch pad for a career in politics. He said that he began giving free road safety seminars to Filipinos as early as 2006.
Bosita also belied Nebrija's insinuation that the former's content--which could be described as populist and reality-based--was geared toward amassing a campaign fund.
The RSAP founder says the money he earns via YouTube simply isn't enough for a political campaign, which costs "millions". He said that he even allows other vloggers to use his content, and that those vloggers end up having more views and earning more money than him.
Bosita said he could earn as much as P450,000 a month in YouTube monetization should he choose to keep his content exclusive to his channel.
The RSAP Facebook page has over 809,000 members.