Senator Sergio Osmeña III yesterday called on voters to support the 11 candidates of the Genuine Opposition, pointing out that the Senate is the last institution remaining that will provide a check and balance on the House and the Executive.

Osmeña, who is married to Bettina Mejia Lopez, was in Bacolod City over the weekend for a Lopez reunion.

He said the GO respects the decision of Senator Francisco Pangilinan to run as an independent, and its executive committee has not discussed a replacement candidate on its slate for him.

The GO presented its senatorial ticket Saturday night at Plaza Miranda, but Pangilinan was a no-show.

Osmeña, who is helping in the campaign of the opposition senatorial candidates, said that if the administration bets gain control of the Senate, they will agree to convene a Constituent Assembly that will amend the Constitution and abolish the Senate.

Osmeña said that, while a win of nine GO bets would allow the opposition to have the majority in the Senate, he is pushing for the victory of all 11 of their candidates.

"We are always assuming the administration will cheat as much as they can so we need to increase our lead to take into consideration the massive manipulation of votes," he said.

On top of this, Osmeña said, the opposition has the better slate of candidates who will provide a better outlook in the Senate, unlike those in the administration whom he called "trapos and balimbings"

Osmeña also said economic indicators shown by the administration are not reflective of the true state of the people, whose lives have not changed for the better. There has been no trickle down of wealth to the people, he said.

He said a Senate independent of the administration is needed to check graft and corruption in government, citing the numerous scams that have been uncovered in the past involving the misuse of the people's funds.

Among those running for the Senate under the GO ticket are Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Allen Peter Cayetano, Anna Dominique Coseteng, Francis Joseph Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, John Osmeña, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Sonia Roco, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Manuel Villar Jr.*CPG

back to top