"Palusot (Lame excuse)."
Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) presidential candidate Leodegario "Ka Leody" de Guzman gave this one-word reaction Wednesday morning, Feb. 9 after learning the supposed reason why fellow aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. hasn't been attending presidential forums.
On Wednesday, Marcos spokesperson, lawyer Vic Rodriguez noted how presidential candidates would usually engage fellow participants in a debate or argument during these presidential forums. He said this shouldn't be the case.
For "working class" candidate De Guzman, this is simply a palusot or lame excuse from the Marcos camp.
"Hindi naman ito (presidential forums or debates) ngayon lang ginawa. Sa lahat ng nagdaang eleksyon, ay ginagawa ito. Kaya huwag nang magpalusot (These presidential forums or debates aren't new. These were done in all past elections. So please, no more lame excuses," he said during Wednesday's Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery Cafe.
According to De Guzman--who incidentally shares the same campaign color as Marcos--the participation of candidates in such events would help Filipinos carry out their #MatalinongBoto2022.
"Sa lahat ng election laging mayroon binibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga kandidato na makausap ang buong mamamayan using ang pinakamalawak na network para makilatis ng ating mga mamamayan yung plataporma (In every election, the candidates are given the opportunity to speak to the nation using the biggest network so that the people may study their platform)," he said.
"Hindi lamang yung gandang lalaki, hindi lamang yung personal na karakter, kung di ano ang plano, ano ang leaning sa problema ng bansa. At kung ito ang leaning niya sa problema ng bansa, ano ang solusyon niya? Important yun (This is not just about good looks, not just about personal character, but what are their plans, their leanings on the country’s problems. And if these are their leanings on the country’s problems, what are their solutions? That's important)," stressed De Guzman.
In his campaign kickoff Tuesday night, De Guzman called out his rivals for employing "cheap gimmicks" duing poll season.