CAPAS, TARLAC — Vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan on Wednesday, March 23, warned voters against the sweet and empty promises of candidates during the campaign season.
In a message he delivered before 1,000 farmers, agricultural workers, students, and municipal employees, the senator asked them to be more discerning of candidates who are trying to woo them.
“Kami po ay lumiligaw sa inyo bilang mga kandidato. Nais naming makuha ang matamis ninyong oo. (Pero) kailangan hindi basta basta mahulog ang Bataan (We are courting you as candidates. We want to get your sweet yes. don’t let Bataan fall just like that),” Pangilinan said.
“Mahulog ang Bataan” is an idiomatic expression in the Filipino culture that means “don’t give in.” It refers to the Fall of Bataan to the Japanese forces in 1942.
“Dapat maging mapanuri kung track record lang ang pag-uusapan. Sino ba sa mga tandems ang hindi nasangkot sa mga anomalya, ang Leni-Kiko (Should be discerning if track record si to be considered. Who among the tandems have not been involved in anomalies, the Leni Kiko),” he added.
Pangilinan did not specifically mention any candidate by name, but told participants to be critical of all candidates, and to scrutinize their achievements and accomplishments.
“Sino rin ang tandem na hindi lamang tuwing election lumalabas? Kung hindi nagtatrabahong masinop, nagtatrabahong maayos, may eleksyon man o wala? Iyan ang Leni-Kiko (Whose tandem you don’t only see during elections? Works diligently, works efficiently, election or not? That’s Leni-Kiko,” he stressed.
He quoted Vice President Leni Robredo, his running mate, that voters should demand for “resibo (receipts)” whenever candidates try to woo voters.
On Tuesday, March 22, Pangilinan criticized candidates who refused to participate in presidential and vice-presidential debates because they deprive voters of opportunities to learn about their platforms and evaluate them.
This came after some local executives, such as congressmen Joey Salceda and Rufus Gutierrez and Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco held a press conference to publicly announce their support for Robredo and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
The presidential daughter is running with former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the UniTeam alliance.
Although saying that she will be open to work with Duterte-Carpio should they both win in May, Robredo emphasized that she will only campaign for Pangilinan.