By Marvyn N. Benaning / Correspondent
SEN. Grace Poe should not allow herself to be used by Aquino political allies as presidential candidate in exchange for guarantees that the current Chief Executive, budget secretary, Senate President and Cabinet members would not be prosecuted should she win the May 9, 2016, race.
The Kabataan party-list group, Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students and the National Union of Students of the Philippines called on Poe to “stand above the trappings of traditional politics and dare to defy the current administration.”
Talk is rife that Poe would run for president despite questions about her citizenship, her being a natural-born Filipino and her residency, with critics saying that her declaration in her certificate of candidacy in 2013 showed that her residency was only six years and six months.
Filed under oath, Poe needs six months from the filing of her candidacy in October 2015 to complete the 10-year constitutional rule on residency for anyone to qualify to run for president or vice president.
“If the good senator pushes through with her plan to run for president, we urge her not to give in to the sweet talk of the Aquino administration. We need a candidate who is committed to pursuing justice, truth and accountability, not a compromising presidential aspirant who would readily sacrifice his or her beliefs just to get the blessing of the current administration,” Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon of Kabataan said.
For Anakbayan Chairman Vencer Crisostomo, the call for justice and accountability should be a central point of discussion in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
“We need leaders who will commit to exacting justice for the crimes of the present government, not leaders who will just bury the hatchet. Aquino is surely looking for a successor who will absolve him from Disbursement Acceleration Program, the abuses of the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel and Mamasapano. We sincerely hope that Senator Poe will not fall prey to Mr. Aquino’s machinations,” Crisostomo warned.
League of Filipino Students Spokesman Charisse Bañez said the discourse on the upcoming polls should not be limited to issues of eligibility.
“There should be enough of the petty debates on residency and eligibility. What we need is to begin the conversation on our demands as a people, demands for better living conditions, jobs, genuine agrarian reform and free education. We should not let those in power to dominate and steer the conversation to serve their agenda. Senator Poe, if you will push through with your presidential run, please deviate from the way of the trapos [traditional politicians] and stand for the Filipino people,” Bañez added.