Reelectionist Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday, Jan. 23, asked Filipinos to “be serious” in choosing who to vote for this coming May elections, saying that it is the people who are always at the losing end if they do not vote for the right leaders.
“Hindi ho solusyon ang pagboto lamang. Seryosohin nyo iyong pagboto. Piliin nyo iyong mapagkakatiwalaan (Voting alone is not the solution. Be serious with your votes. Choose who you can trust),” he said during Vice President Leni Robredo’s weekly radio show.
Gordon is a guest senatorial candidate under the Vice President’s ticket. This came as he entered into a verbal tussle with President Duterte after previously supporting the Chief Executive.
He warned Filipinos against voting for those who give cash aid or popular celebrities, but clarified that he isn’t referring to anyone specific.
“Kung (If) qualified naman, okay lang pero ang magbabayad ng kapabayaan nyo kundi nyo pag-isipan, kayo rin eh (it’s okay but the one who will pay for your neglect if you don’t think about it is also you),” Gordon stressed.
“Talo kayo palagi. Iyong ang aking pakiusap (You will always lose. That’s my appeal),” he added.
Despite doing their best in the Senate blue ribbon committee which he heads, the senator said that the problem is the people are voting for the wrong candidates.
The country is still facing the same problems—corruption, food security, and the territorial dispute—because those in power are not qualified.
“Kailangan talaga iyong ilalagay nyong tao nalalaman ang kanilang trabaho (The people you will put in power should really know their jobs),” Gordon said.
Should he win another term in the Senate, the former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said that he will focus on the enforcement of law.
“Ang problema natin (Our problem is) enforcement of law. Ang palaging pinaglalaban natin (What we are always fighting for is) enforcement of law,” he said.
He cited the Doble Plaka (double plate) law and the PhilHealth mess as the result of the non-enforcement of the laws.
“Iyang PhilHealth hindi na-e-enforce. Hindi nababayaran ang hospital. Hindi lahat ng tao nakakakuha ng tulong. Bagamat malaki ang tulong pero kulang pa rin. Enforcement na naman yan (That PhilHealth is not being enforced. The hospitals are not being paid. Not all people are receiving help. Although it’s a big help, but it’s still lacking. That’s enforcement again),” Gordon said.