Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano called on all presidential candidates for the 2022 general elections to push against moves that threaten Filipino values.
In a media interview on October 16, 2021, Cayetano said he is deeply concerned about the rise of online gambling and other immoral activities in the country.
“Marami ang nagsasabi na di kasi nakakain ang values. Ako, tingin ko, baligtad. Kapag binalewala natin ang values, lalo tayong walang makakain. Doon tayo masisira,” he said.
(A lot of people are saying that we can’t eat values. For me, it’s the other way around. If we neglect our values, we won’t have anything to eat. It will ruin us.)
The former Speaker has been a staunch critic of gambling and similar practices since his first years in public office.
In late September this year, Cayetano asked his colleagues in the House of Representatives to reconsider its approval of the first e-sabong franchise in the Philippines.
His anti-gambling campaign is a key feature of his faith-based and values-oriented platform, which was previously linked to his initial plans to join the presidential race next year.
The lawmaker earlier said he was seriously considering running for President, but on October 1, he announced that he was no longer pursuing it because it would further divide the people.
On October 7, Cayetano declared his intention to run for Senator and filed his Certificate of Candidacy on the same day.
“Hindi akma yung panahon at devastating itong COVID-19, whether sa health o sa kabuhayan. ‘Yung mga nangyayari sa Senate, yung batuhan ng putik. So, naisip ko, kung gusto ko talaga makatulong ay yung maiooffer ko, ioffer ko sa lahat ng presidentiables,” he said.
(It isn’t the right time and the COVID-19 pandemic really devastated the health and livelihood of our people. Then, there’s the mudslinging in the Senate. So, I thought, if I really want to help, I would be better off giving what I can to all presidentiables.)
