Members of 1Sambayan Negros Occidental Chapter signed a manifesto on Friday, April 9, to support the fielding of a common opposition slate for president, vice president and senators and to work for their victory in the 2022 polls.
The signing took place at the official launching of the 1Sambayan Negros Occidental chapter, which is part of a national broad based coalition of pro-democratic forces, at the Grand Hall of Acacia Hotel in Bacolod City.
Former chief Justice Antonio Carpio, who congratulated former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela via Zoom for organizing the first 1Sambayan provincial chapter, said it was a truly historic occasion.
“On this Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), brave Filipinos are gathered here today because we want to save our country from despair, incompetence and lack of vision,” said Carpio, national lead convenor of 1Sambayan.
He said 1Sambayan will search for competent, honest, patriotic and visionary Filipinos to support in the May 2022 national elections “to replace the officials of the Duterte administration who are responsible for the extreme economic hardship on the lives of tens of millions of Filipinos today.”
“Together we will search for these competent, honest and patriotic leaders who will revive the national economy, generate employment, dispense social justice to the poor, defend our sovereign territory and sovereign rights against foreign invasion, and provide a brighter future for our children and grandchildren,” Carpio said.
He said they will unify the democratic forces in the country to bring good governance to the Filipino people to bring economic development to the country and prosperity to the Filipino people.
“It is good governance that will restore the pride and dignity of the Filipino people,” Carpio said.
“With your cooperation and support, together we will revive, restore and develop our country, bring peace and prosperity to our people, so that we can all be proud and stand tall again as Filipinos,” Carpio said.
The 1Sambayan Negros Occidental chapter volunteers, in their manifesto, said it is time to come together as one united force to restore sanity and order in the way the country is run.
Coscolluela said they will support a single national opposition slate, they will not get involved in local politics.
He said about 200 1Sambayan Negros Occidental chapter members joined the launching – physically and via Zoom in compliance with the COVID-19 physical distancing rule.
Another gathering will be held for the other sectors who were unable to attend, he said.
SECTORAL POSITIONS
Bernaldo Eres, LP Bacolod Paghili-usa Chapter chairman, said his group supports the founding of 1Sambayan in Negros Occidental.
“We believe that our people deserve to live in a nation with liberty, dignity and prosperity,” Eres said.
Wennie Sancho, General Alliance of Workers Associations secretary general, said we should restore our courage and nationalism, on this day of valor.
Sancho said the Duterte administration’s position on China’s encroachment on the West Philippine Sea is confusing, it has adopted a policy anchored on the principle that “silence is golden.”
Ken Paolo Gilo, a youth representative, said they joined 1Sambayan because they want an end to a culture of violence and intolerance, they want a future where they are heard, safe, and empowered.
Lawyer Andrea Si said “As women, especially as mothers we want leadership that will model for our youth, what we mean by Christian values, integrity, compassion and respect for human life and human rights.”
“The bloody drug war and the Covid pandemic bring to light how the people to whom we give our vote can hold our life and death in their hands. With 1 Sambayanan, we can unite around well selected common candidates and in so doing, hope to save our democracy and our country,” Si said.
Former provincial elections supervisor Jessie Suarez said the launching of 1Sambayan Negros opens the avenue for all Negrenses who aspire for change against the present corrupt and mismanaged system of governance to join and consolidate forces to have common candidates.
Fisherman Romeo Torcuator said believes that through 1Sambayan the trust of the people in government will be restored.
Lawyer Joel Dojillo said 1Sambayan is a re-run of the snap and 2010 elections for the campaign to prevent the perpetuation of the disastrous Duterte administration led by civil society and not by a political party.
Former Bacolod councilor Sonia Verdeflor said 1Sambayan is the turning point in uniting Filipinos towards one objective, which is to restore the nation back to righteous governance.*