With 20 days left until election day, former senator and senatorial candidate Kiko Pangilinan called on voters to discern the candidates who not only deserve their votes, but ones they can trust as well.
“20 days to go. Ngayon ang panahon ng pagbubusisi at pagpili ng palagay natin karapat-dapat pagkatiwalaan. Wag po natin piliin ‘yung nakakadagdag sa gulo, yung may isyu ng katiwalian, yung mga walang gagawin doon kundi butasin lang ang silya sa Senado dahil sila ay sikat o dahil sila ay kilala,” he said in various radio programs in Olongapo City on Monday, April 21.
“Doon po tayo sa tapat at totoo. Doon po tayo sa may solusyon dahil walang kulay ang gutom, walang kulay din dapat ang solusyon,” he added.
Running under the platform of food security, Pangilinan shared that he had been advocating for access to quality and affordable food for 15 years, and had also been publishing food blogs on his YouTube channel for two years.
The former senator has repeatedly been a victim of disinformation and smear campaigns through spliced and edited videos on social media.
He lamented how other candidates demean the integrity of the campaign period by funding campaigns to malign their fellow candidates, and asked voters to be vigilant against these types of campaign strategies.
“Magkaisa na tayo. Sama-sama nating patunayan na ang prinsipyo, paninindigan, ‘yung pagiging tapat at totoo, kaya ‘yan talunin itong pera. Kaya yan ipanalo laban sa pera at katiwalian at kawalan ng prinsipyo,” he said.
Running under the platform of food security, Pangilinan shared that he had been advocating for access to quality and affordable food for 15 years, and had also been publishing food blogs on his YouTube channel for two years.
“Tayo ay tututok lang sa problema ng mataas na presyo ng pagkain. Yan po ang ating adbokasiya. Sa mga kababayan natin, wag tayo agad maniniwala. Don tayo sa tapat at totoo, may tunay na resibo. Hindi itong kasinungalingan na pinapakalat,” he added.
The former senator said he had passed important pieces of legislation during his first three terms in the Senate, but admitted that more needs to be done to address food insecurity, hunger, and the high prices of food.
He acknowledged the need to work across the political aisle, expressing readiness to work with all regardless of their political color and affiliation.
“Kayang gawin kung nagkakaisa dahil walang kulay ang gutom, walang kulay ang mataas na presyo ng bilihin at pagkain… Hanapan natin ng solusyon ang problema. Ang daing ng taong bayan, mapababa ang presyo ng bigas at iba pang bilihin at maglingkod ng tapat at totoo,” he stressed.
As former food security czar of the Aquino administration, Pangilinan was responsible for bringing down rice inflation to just 0.8% and overall inflation to 1.5% after one year. These were the lowest inflation rates in 20 years.
