by Noy Adaram
Human rights lawyer Atty. Chel Diokno along with Former Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino are pledging to combat corruption, strengthen agriculture and expand education respectively for the 2025 elections.
Despite announcing a third attempt for the Senate, Diokno filed a certificate of candidacy (CoC) on October 07 to be a representative of the Akbayan party-list in the House of Representatives. In a statement, he said “Mahalagang mabantayan ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan at maprotektahan sila laban sa anumang pang-aabuso ng mga nasa kapangyarihan (It is important to safeguard the welfare of our countrymen and protect them against any form of abuse from those in power).”
After a failed vice presidential bid during the 2022 elections, Pangilinan revives his “original plan” focusing on food security considering the consumers’ groan on inflation. He filed his CoC on October 08 accompanied by his wife, veteran actress Sharon Cuneta. “Handa tayong isantabi ang pulitika upang tulungan ang gobyerno dahil walang kulay pulitika ang gutom (We are ready to set aside politics to help the government since hunger does not have a political color),” he assured.
Pangilinan was food security czar from June 2014 to September 2015 during the administration (from 2010 to 2016) of the late 15th Philippine President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III. He already has a stint in the Senate being elected in 2001, 2007 and 2016.
With the free college law he authored, Aquino aims to fortify graduates’ access to employment opportunities.
“Ikakabit natin ang isinulong nating batas sa libreng kolehiyo sa siguradong trabaho na may makataong sahod at akma sa kanilang kakayahan at napag-aralan para makumpleto ang ating tulong sa kanila (We will attach the law we pushed for free college education in a job opportunity with humane compensation that is aligned with their skill and what they studied so our assistance to them will be complete),” Aquino explained.
Aquino formalized his second Senate bid on October 07. He was a senator from 2013 to 2019. He failed to secure his third and last term in 2019 to which he ran under the “Otso Diretso” coalition.
The CheKiBam ticket has the support of Senator Risa Hontiveros. For her, “They represent what the Filipinos need. Dapat natin silang makasama sa Senado dahil tiyak na sila’y magtatrabaho at lalaban para sa karapatan at kapakanan ng taumbayan (We need to have them in the Senate because they will certainly work and fight for the rights and welfare of the people).”
