News Roundup 06 April 2022
Apr 06, 2022 • 4 min Read
Robredo team sees further rise in surveys; Marcos campaign to push for 70% preference | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice President Leni Robredo’s nine-point rise in the latest Pulse Asia survey shows the campaign momentum that will only further intensify until elections day, her spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said. Marcos campaign spokesperson Vic Rodriguez meanwhile said they are focused on raising presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s ratings up to 70%. “The survey numbers are starting to reflect what we have been seeing on the ground all along: the massive crowds, the fierce passion, the untiring commitment of Filipinos from all walks of life, coming together to rally behind Leni Robredo’s bid for the presidency,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “What we are seeing now is the turning of the tide,” he added. Although Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer Marcos maintained his top spot in the pre-elections survey with 56%, he however recorded a four-point drop. Meanwhile, Robredo remained at the second spot but climbed by nine points in the latest survey to 24% from 15%. Voter preference for other presidential candidates was generally unchanged, with Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso getting 8%, Sen. Manny Pacquiao with 6% and Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson with 2%. Gutierrez said a change in public sentiment in the last two months before the elections shows that Robredo “has the momentum, which we expect will only further intensify and accelerate all the way to May 9.” The survey was conducted from March 17 to 21, after CNN Philippines held its presidential debates and the Commission on Elections staged its own debates—both events Marcos snubbed. Robredo has also started, during this time, to attract huge crowds at rallies in different parts of the country.
PH must break free from political dynasties, make democracy ‘inclusive’ – study | INQUIRER.NET – The Philippines should do away with political dynasties and achieve “inclusive democracy” in order to address the burgeoning inequality in the country. This was the finding of a study made by Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald Mendoza, titled “Reducing Inequality in the Philippines: Rationale and Reforms,” which emphasized the country’s failure to liberalize its politics that causes bad governance. In his paper, Mendoza pointed out that the country was not able to build a more inclusive democracy, which is crucial to making “upward mobility among people.” “We managed to liberalize the economy, but we failed miserably to liberalize our politics. Eventually, even if you liberalize your economy, you will still hit a ceiling because of bad governance and because of that failure to liberalize politics,” his study states. According to Mendoza, there are three facets of inequality in the Philippines: “weak upward mobility in our economy, our vulnerability to disaster, and the concentration of power among just a few political clans.” “All these affect our people in a deep way,” he said. “It’s not very surprising that we are divided because we are very unequal as a country right now. Inequality is self-reinforcing. We need to break free from this anti-democratic, anti-inclusive growth trap.” These gaps were then widened even further by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mendoza. “Under lockdown, there is a deep divide between the technology ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,’ creating a demarcation in resilience and crisis coping across students, workers, firms, and communities. Just to illustrate, several million students may be unable to enroll during the lockdown, due to factors such as lack of connectivity,” Mendoza said in his paper. “Inequality is of interest not merely because of a desire for a more equal distribution of wealth,” he likewise said. Inequality itself can derail economic growth, breed populism, and weaken social cohesion, he added.
Occidental Mindoro Rep. Sato declares support for Leni-Kiko | INQUIRER.NET – Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato publicly declared support for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo during her campaign sortie Wednesday in the province. Sato, a Liberal Party member, also declared her support for Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Robredo’s running mate. Sato hosted lunch for Robredo when she met with mayors, vice mayors, and councilors in the province. Sato said Robredo was “first to have sent PPEs (personal protective equipment), medical support, and others, without fanfare, to Occidental Mindoro, so she is well-loved by the frontliners.” Robredo and Pangilinan later visited the fisherfolk of F/B Gem-ver, the vessel that sank in 2019 after encountering a Chinese boat in the West Philippine Sea in Barangay San Roque in San Jose town. Robredo came bearing financial assistance to the fisherfolk. She twice visited the fishers of F/B Gem-ver, first in Barangay San Roque and then in Ilin Island, where half of them reside, after the incident at sea. Robredo also met with the clergy from the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose. In the afternoon, she met thousands of volunteers at the people’s rally in San Jose Plaza. Robredo won the vice presidential race in 2016 with a good margin against former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. She is facing him again in the May elections. Henry Echivarre Bagatsolon, a volunteer, said in a message to the Inquirer that when the campaign for local candidates started, voters in Occidental Mindoro had been demanding from local politicians to declare their support for the Leni-Kiko tandem.
