The Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni (ALL4LENI) called on Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday, Oct. 19, to include in her ticket labor leader Sonny Matula to represent the ordinary workers, which comprise the majority of the Filipinos.
In a virtual media briefing, Nice Coronacion of SENTRO read the labor statement that formally pushed for the inclusion of Matula, chair of Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, in Robredo’s senatorial line-up.
The Vice President has only named 11 senatoriables so far, with the 12th spot in her ticket being “reserved” for someone who can represent the marginalized sector.
The labor leaders said that while they are happy that Robredo has accepted their five-point labor agenda, this can only be strengthened if someone from the ranks of labor leaders will join her tandem with Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.
“Sa layuning ito ay aming ipinahahatid kay VP Leni ang aming panawagan na isama si Atty. Sonny Matula bilang kinatawan ng manggagawa sa kanyang senatorial slate. Si Ka Sonny Matula ay kilala bilang isa sa mga kampeon ng agenda ng manggagawa at matibay na paninindigan laban sa diktadura at otoritaryanismo sa bansa (With this goal, we are calling on VP Leni to include Atty. Sonny Matula as the representative of workers in her senatorial slate. Ka Sonny Matula is known for being a champion in pushing labor agenda and has a strong stand against the dictatorship and authoritarianism in the country),” they added.
But Matula said that this isn’t transactional for the group. While it is better if they can have representation in her ticket to push for their agenda under her administration, the focus is still for Robredo to win.
“Pero iyon naman ay hindi sagabal para maituloy ang laban sa pagkapresidente ni Leni Robredo at iyong ating alyansa naman ay hindi naman aatras dahil lang sa diyan (But that’s not going to be a hindrance for us to fight for Leni Robredo to win and our alliance will not back down because of that),” he added.
Robredo reportedly already asked to meet Matula after she filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) but there is no word if this meeting has already pushed through. She, however, said that Matula is being considered for the 12th spot in her senatorial slate.
READ: Who is Robredo’s 12th Senate bet?
The alliance reckoned that there could be no true democracy without a representative from the workers’ sector, but at the same time they understand that Robredo can only give a spot for this marginalized sector for political and winnability considerations.
“Ganunpaman, kami’y nanininiwala na higit na lalakas ang tsansa ng tagumpay kung higit na lalawak ang representasyon ng batayang sektor sa kanyang koalisyon (Despite that, we believe that she will have a better chance of winning if her coalition will expand to include representatives from every sector),” they added.
The ALL4Leni promised an all-out support that will contribute to the end of “Dutertismo,” incompetence and extrajudicial killings, the comeback of the Marcoses, and the politics of dictatorship and corruption.
In the coming days, they will present plans on how the group can contribute to the success of Robredo’s campaign. One of these is to unveil a billboard along SLEX, they said.
The alliance has called on the Vice President to heed the call and become the opposition’s standard-bearer and was encouraged by the alleged “acceptance” of Robredo of their labor agenda.
READ: Robredo spox tells supporters: Be patient over opposition’s 12th senatorial bet
“At ito ay bukas na bukas iyong ating Bise Presidente na pag-usapan iyong detalye nito kasi napakalawak naman itong prinesent natin (The Vice President is very open to talk about the details because what we presented is very general),” Matula said.
On top of their labor agenda is the end of contractualization, the setting of a national minimum wage, and the freedom of association and the stoppage of trade union repression and human rights violations.
The group is also pushing for the implementation of universal healthcare and the strengthening of the public health care system, as well as the employment guarantee.