Vice Presidential aspirant Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan rallied the people in Naga City on Tuesday night, Feb. 8, to use their votes in the May 2022 polls to elect leaders who will treat their wishes for better life as demands that need to be addressed.
Speaking at the Tropang Robredo-Pangilinan grand rally, Pangilinan transformed his earlier “Sana all” wish for a better Philippines into a demand.
“Hindi sana all. Sa Tropang Robredo-Pangilinan, dapat all. Dapat all, sapat ang kinikita para mayroong panggastos. Dapat all may hanapbuhay. Dapat all ligtas sa sakit. Dapat all mayroong sariling tahanan (Not 'I hope all.' In the Tropang Robredo-Pangilinan, 'everyone should.' Everyone should have ample income for their expenses. Everyone should have jobs. Everyone should be free from diseases. Everyone should have their own houses)," Pangilinan said.
The senator, whose campaign tagline is "hello pagkain, goodbye gutom," stressed that Filipinos should aspire a nation that is free from hunger and debts.
He further said that they should choose those who have a track record of honest public service and who will lead Filipinos out of the pandemic toward physical and economic health.
Pangilinan pointed out that the Tropang Robredo-Pangilinan has a "solid track record," no history of corruption, and has been prioritizing the poor, farmers, and fishermen.
Offering himself as the next vice president and Vice President Leni Robredo as president, Pangilinan said much is at stake in the upcoming election as he called on the Filipinos to guard their votes and give them to candidates who have unsullied track record.
"Minsanan lang sa anim na taon na tayo ay makapangyarihan sa lahat dahil bawat isa sa atin may kapangyarihang piliin kung sino ang pwedeng umupo at kung sino ang hindi pwedeng umupo (We are only given the power every once in six years to choose who must seat and who must not),” Pangilinan said.
“Paano natin gagamitin ang kapangyarihang ito? Sa halagang P3,000 ba? Ganyan ba ang halaga ng kinabukasan natin at ng ating mga anak? O kaya tayo ba’y magpapasya base sa kasinungalingan na ikinakalat, base sa paninira, base sa hindi totoo (How are we going to use this power? Is it in exchange of P3,000? Is that the only value of our children's future? Or are we going to decide base on lies)?” Pangilinan asked.
The aspiring vice president during the grand rally that kicked off their campaign also touted the crowd to support the TROPA candidates at the kickoff: Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, Senator Leila de Lima (represented by her lawyer), human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero (recorded message), Senator Richard Gordon, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Visayan lawyer Alex Lacson, labor lawyer Sonny Matula, and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
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