“I think I echo the sentiments of many of our countrymen, who right now care more about the pandemic than politics, and who at this moment are thinking about vaccines, not voting.”
This was the reaction of Deputy Speaker and Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante, Jr. to reports of petitions urging officials to run in the 2022 presidential elections.
“While the government has said that its objective is to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos by this year, we have yet to really see how and when the vaccines will be rolled out.”
The lawmaker acknowledged that “we live in a democracy and everyone has the right to express their support for the candidates they believe in, and to prod them to run for higher public office.”
“That being said, these are extraordinary times and I believe it is too early and too premature to think about next year’s elections; iba mga prayoridad ng ating mga kababayan ngayon,” he stressed.
According to Abante, his constituents are, at this point, “in all likelihood more concerned about how they will vote––not who they will vote.”
“These are extraordinary times and I believe it is too early and too premature to think about next year’s elections; iba mga prayoridad ng ating mga kababayan ngayon.”
“While the government has said that its objective is to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos by this year, we have yet to really see how and when the vaccines will be rolled out––and if voters are not vaccinated, they will naturally be wary about going to the polls, especially given how cramped our schools can be during elections.”
His concerns over the implementation of the government’s National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP), explained Abante, is the rationale behind his plans to file a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry into the NDVP.
“There are a lot of questions and concerns regarding the NDVP, as nothing like this has ever been done in the history of our country,” said the solon.
“Kaya sa tingin ko, kahit tanungin mo mga kasamahan ko dito sa Kamara, mas importante sa amin na pagusapan ang NDVP kaysa ang 2022.”