By Beatrice Puente
(July 26, 2021) – Filipinos can no longer afford to bear the suffering they experienced at the hands of the iron-fisted leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte for another six years, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan said on Monday, lamenting the killings and poor economic standing of the country.
Pangilinan urged Filipinos to weigh their options properly and decide for themselves if they still want the leadership of Duterte’s family, who human rights groups have criticized for instilling fear and violence through government policies.
“We cannot afford another six years under this administration, another six years of daily killings, strongman iron-first policies, and subservience to China,” said Pangilinan on the ABS-CBN News Channel.
Duterte has revealed his plans to run for vice president in the 2022 elections “to scare the opposition” and evade accountability for his possible charges when he steps down next year. His daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, mulls succeeding him as president.
Pangilinan said the country would be bound to face another bout of difficulty if Duterte will maintain his power in the government beyond 2022, citing his unfulfilled promises and faulty response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several groups have given Duterte a failing mark for his past five years in office due to the killings, economic downturn, and job losses that hit the country. But Pangilinan said he would rather wait for Duterte’s performance in his final year before grading his service.
“Kailangan niyang maghabol kasi maraming kakulangan lalo na noong pumasok na ang COVID at ang daming nawalan ng trabaho, maraming gutom, ‘di nagagastos nang maayos ‘yung pondo ng gobyerno, at meron pa ring matinding pangungurakot,” said Pangilinan.
[RELATED STORY: FAILED RATING | Catholic bishops give Duterte a failing mark in his last year in office]
The country’s economy shrank to -9.5% last year primarily because of the business closures driven by lockdown restrictions. In its latest survey, the Social Weather Stations said 48% of Filipino families feel poor while some 29% were on the borderline category.
Despite the criticisms, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco believed the administration’s performance was promising since it continued to deliver the public’s needs even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Velasco, a close Duterte ally, also claimed it wouldn’t be too bad for the father-and-daughter tandem to run for the two highest public positions, insisting that six years was not enough for Duterte’s rule.
“I don’t think na garapal ‘yan because it’s still up to the voters whether they will vote for a Duterte-Duterte tandem,” said Velasco. “I’m looking at Mayor Inday (Sara) because I want continuity as to the programs and policies of this administration.”
But for Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, it would be futile to expect change from the same leader who has already shown what he can do over the last five years.
“Do you expect real change from the last five years to the next five years kung Duterte-Duterte ang mangyayari?” said Pangilinan. “Let the people decide that. If they feel na kung ganito ulit ang ihahalal nila ay hindi magkakaroon ng pagbabago, dapat hanapan natin ng solusyon, hanapan natin sino, anong grupo ang dapat nating bigyan ng tiwala at suporta.”
(PM)
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.