A coalition of labor leaders on Tuesday expressed unconditional support for Vice President Leni Robredo’s bid for the presidency even if she won’t choose the bloc’s own senatorial bet as part of her slate.
The Alliance of Labor Leaders for Leni (ALL4LENI), in an online forum, also campaigned for the inclusion of labor leader Sonny Matula in Robredo’s Senate slate.
Matula, a lawyer, is the president of the Federation of Free Workers and chairperson of the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition. He is seeking the 12th spot in Robredo’s ticket against four other candidates, including Makabayan bloc chair Neri Colmenares.
Asked about the prospect of Matula’s exclusion from the list of 12, ALL4LENI’S Nice Coronacion said they will continue supporting the Vice President because people do not want another dictatorship and authoritarianism in government.
Robredo said Friday she wants the 12th spot to represent the marginalized sector.
Her current slate includes five returning and incumbent senators and a former vice president who are also guest candidates in the senatorial slates of senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson, leaving one more slot left.
Matula himself said that should he be excluded from Robredo’s ticket, he will continue supporting her while pushing for his own candidacy.
Matula said some members of the labor groups might be disappointed if Matula is not selected, but this will not mean the labor groups will back out from supporting Robredo.
A former newsboy, Matula’s father was a farmer while her mother worked as a tailor. A scholarship allowed him to finish college and he eventually earned his law degree from the Manuel L. Quezon University.
Matula said he wants to focus on key issues including ending contractualization; increasing the minimum wage; removing the distinction between rates in Metro Manila and those in the provinces; and removing any form of discrimination on the basis of gender, kind of work, race, beliefs, among others; and ending impunity by seeking justice for slain labor leaders and organizers, among others.
The group said representing the laborers is enough reason for Matula to be included in Robredo’s Senate slate although it wished more candidates could have been accommodated.
The group unveiled its own list of senatorial bets it will support in a billboard in Sucat-Bicutan, paid for by funds donated by various labor groups within and outside the country.
Aside from Matula, they include senators Risa Hontiveros and Leila de Lima, lawyer Chel Diokno, ex-Rep. Teddy Baguilat and ex-Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
The group vowed to raise money to support Robredo’s candidacy, even going as far as launching a “Piso Para Kay VP Leni” campaign that aims to collect 1 peso from every member, who are also encouraged to actively campaign for the vice president.
With 350,000 members, ALL4LENI claimed it could generate two million votes for Robredo in the May 2022 polls.
Palawan district representatives and siblings Atty. Frederick Abueg and Atty. Cyrille “Beng” Abueg-Zaldivar meanwhile said they are backing the tandem of Robredo and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan in the 2022 polls.
This comes after the Abuegs formalized their Liberal Party membership last Sept. 27 in a virtual oath-taking ceremony with the Party leadership.
The Abueg siblings’ father, Alfredo “Amor” Abueg Jr., was the Senior Delegate of Palawan to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, and was appointed by President Corazon Aquino to be the Officer-in-Charge for Puerto Princesa from 1986 to 1987.
