Former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday said there are three things the people need to look for in the presidential candidates in order to make proper decisions in the May elections: vision, plans, and values.
“If we can combine y’ung vision, y’ung plano (at) saan kukunin ang pera, at saka values, mas magiging maganda ang pagpili natin ng pangulo,” Cayetano said in a media interview on January 27, 2022.
(I think if we combine their vision, their plans and where the funds would come from, and their values, we would be able to choose a good president.)
“Number one, [dapat] klaro ang vision. Kumbaga, kung gagawa ka ng bahay dapat parehong gusto ng may-ari ang bahay at saka y’ung arkitekto, ‘di ba? So napaka importante y’ung vision,” he said.
(First, the candidate should have a clear vision. In building a house, the owner and the architect should both agree on the construction and design, right? So that’s why vision is important.)
Cayetano said secondly, the presidential candidates should be able to present their plans clearly, including where the funds would come from.
“Kasi madaling sabihin na gusto natin maging number one sa tourism, habulin ang Thailand sa tourism, pero paano mo gagawin y’on [kung walang plano o pera]?” he said.
(It’s easy to say that we want to be number one in the tourism industry surpassing neighboring countries like Thailand, but how can we do that without proper plans or funds?)
Cayetano, who is gunning for a senatorial seat on a faith-based and values-oriented leadership platform, said the third factor the people should look for in the candidates are their values.
“Pangatlo, y’ung values, ‘di ba? So halimbawa sabihin mo gusto ko ay mataas at magandang ekonomiya, ito plano ko tapos sa sugal lang pala kukunin ang pera, hindi magiging ganun y’ung gusto mo,” he said.
(The third is values. For instance, if we want a flourishing economy, yet the candidate is known to promote gambling and other vices, it would be harder to achieve the main objective.)
Cayetano said these factors should make a proper criteria in the peoples’ choice for the next president.
He also said this is the reason he has been pushing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to increase the number of debates for the candidates.
“Kaya nga palagi nating tinutulak, more debates and discussion, dapat i-welcome ng mga presidentiables ang mga journalists, mga broadcaster, trabaho niyo naman na magtanong nang mahirap, ‘di ba?” Cayetano said.
(This is why we push for more debates and discussions. The presidentiables should also welcome journalists and broadcasters since it’s their job to ask the tough questions.)
On graft and corruption
Cayetano also welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement on Tuesday that he will name the “most corrupt” presidential candidate before the May elections, saying corruption is always a legitimate and relevant issue.
“Especially now P5 trillion pesos ang budget natin, ‘pagka five percent lang ang na-corrupt dyan, that’s P250 billion. Kaya mo nang bigyan ng tig-sampung libo ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino, sobra-sobra na,” he said.
(Especially now that we have a national budget of P5-trillion. If corruption eats up even just five percent of that, it would still amount to P250 billion. That’s more than enough to give P10,000 to each Filipino family.)
Cayetano said it would be “good to listen” to what the President has to say but the public should keep in mind that there is still evidence to be produced and circumstances to be proven.
“The reality is, hindi lahat ng corruption mapapatunayan (not all allegations of corruption is proven),” he said.
“For me dapat talaga pag-usapan ang graft and corruption at y’ung sistema para ito’y mawala,” he added.
(As for me, I think the better question to address is how we can place systems that can lead to the eradication of graft and corruption.)
