Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday said he is still seeking the advice of his colleagues and the opinion of various sectors on his plans for the 2022 general elections.
In an interview with RMN Dumaguete on September 8, 2021, Cayetano said most of his colleagues are hoping to see a candidate who can represent faith-based and values-oriented leadership.
“Ako po, I’ve been consulting a lot of people at tingin nila, it’s time na meron tayong Christ-centered, Bible-based na paraan ng panunungkulan. And then, of course, dahil iba-iba ang religion natin sa bansa, yung panunungkulan ay dapat faith-based at values-oriented,” he said.
(I’ve been consulting a lot of people and they think it’s time for us to have a Christ-centered and Bible-based kind of leadership. And then, of course, because we have different religions in the country, the leadership we need should be faith-based and values-oriented.)
Cayetano had earlier said he is “seriously considering” running for President to ensure the adoption of a five-year economic recovery plan and the enactment of a broad direct stimulus program amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
He also said he is concerned about the spiritual aspect of the national government’s programs, including online gambling.
“Problema ngayon ay pera at trabaho pero ang ginawang solusyon ng gobyerno ay e-sabong. So tingin ko, mali yon. Di ‘yon ang makakapagbigay ng trabaho. Problema ang ibibigay n’un. Iilan lang ang yayaman diyan,” Cayetano said.
(The problem now is the vast loss of income and livelihood. To solve this, the government rolled out an e-sabong program. I think that’s wrong. That will not generate jobs. It will only give us problems. Only a few people will profit from it.)
He also said the war on drugs needs to take on a new perspective.
“We cannot stop it but we cannot continue it as it is na panay enforcement lang. Dapat may spiritual at medical side. Kailangan may kalinga kasi biktima lang din yung mga kabataan na nalulong sa droga,” he added.
(We cannot stop it but we cannot continue it as it is where we’re always focused on enforcement. We have to look at the spiritual and medical side. We should offer compassion because the young people who get addicted to drugs are also victims.)
Cayetano said he and his allies are currently making arrangements to expand their Sampung Libong Pag-Asa and Sari-Saring Pag-Asa initiatives towards the Visayas.
The Sampung Libong Pag-Asa program takes off from the 10K Ayuda Bill that Cayetano and his allies filed in February 2021. The initiative seeks to distribute P10,000 each to the poorest of the poor amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, the Sari-Saring Pag-Asa initiative aims to distribute cash aid and provide training to pandemic-stricken sari-sari store vendors across the country.
