- VP candidate Sen. Chiz Escudero says that Pres. Benigno Aquino III should have remained impartial
- He criticizes Aquino’s endorsement of Liberal Party candidates and joining in campaign sorties
- He says the President should instead focus on ensuring clean and fair elections
The independent candidate for Vice President, Senator Chiz Escudero, said that President Benigno Aquino III should have maintained his impartiality and instead be more focused on ensuring fair elections instead of endorsing candidates in the upcoming national polls.
Escudero is the running mate of Independent Presidential bet Senator Grace Poe. Meanwhile, President Aquino officially endorsed the Liberal Party (LP) tandem of former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas and Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo.
“Nalungkot ako nang bahagya nung nagpasya si Pangulong Aquino na mag-endorso ng kandidato. Mas maganda sana kung wala, hindi dahil si Sen. Grace and inendorso niya or ako pero mas maganda sana kung pinangasiwaan na lang ng Pangulo, sinupervise at inoversee niya ang isang malinis at patas na halalan. [I was a bit sad when President Aquino decided to endorse a candidate. It would have been better if he didn’t, not because he did not endorse Sen. Grace or me, but it would have been better if the President had focused instead on supervising and overseeing that the election would be clean and fair],” Escudero said, as quoted by Cebu Daily News.
President Aquino’s recent trips to other provinces include speaking at rallies where he campaigned heavily for Roxas and Robredo. He has also appeared in television commercials with the two candidates.
Escudero said that the current Administration’s “Daang Matuwid [Straight Path]” program would have better exemplified the ideals of fair play if the President remained impartial and did not endorse any candidate.
“Ang tuwid na daan ay parehas at patas ang laban. Kaya ipinagbawal ng Constitution ang reelection ng isang pangulo para hindi niya magamit yung opisina niya para sa pangangampanya. [The straight path is for equal and fair play. That’s why the Constitution prohibited the reelection of a president so that he would not be able to use his office for campaigning],” he explained.
Escudero further added because of that, the President had also urged his Cabinet Secretaries to join him in endorsing Roxas and Robredo; thus shifting the Cabinet executives’ focus.
“Imbes na maasikaso ng mga Cabinet Secretaries ang problema ng bansa, andito sila kasama ng kandidato ng Liberal Party nangangampanya. [Instead of attending to the problems of the country, the Cabinet Secretaries are here with the candidates of the Liberal Party in order to campaign],” he said.
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