The first 1Sambayan provincial chapter will officially be launched in Bacolod City on April 9, Araw ng Kagitingan (Day Of Valor), former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela said Thursday, March 23.
Coalition Chairman retired Justice Antonio Carpio will deliver the keynote address at the launching of the 1 Sambayan Negros Occidental chapter via zoom, he said.
The coalition that is out to challenge whoever would be President Rodrigo Duterte’s anointed candidate for the 2022 elections, is not supporting any local candidates, Coscolluela, a convenor of 1Sambayan, said.
“This will be the first chapter outside Metro Manila, a lot have already expressed interest in joining,” said Coscolluela, who led the
formation of the Negros Occidental chapter on Monday, March 22, in Bacolod City.
This is the start of 1Sambayan’s campaign to reach out to Filipinos all across the archipelago and enlist their support in its advocacy for good
governance, he said.
Paghimud-os, a local coalition of civil society and interest groups, has partnered with 1Sambayan and agreed to help it establish a mass base in Negros Occidental, he said.
“Paghimud-os” is the Ilonggo word for “struggle.”
“Justice Carpio is glad with the establishment of the first provincial chapter” initiated by Coscolluela, said Rick Ramos, communications director of the coalition.
1Sambayan plans to replicate the Negros Occidental model in establishing local chapters nationwide, Ramos said.
Coscolluela will begin talks with counterparts in Iloilo for the possible establishment of the next 1Sambayan local chapter, he said.
“An influential patriotic personality, a retired government official in charge of Western Visayas, has offered to help establish 1Sambayan chapters in the provinces of Panay,” Ramos said.
Coscolluela emphasized 1Sambayan’s need to establish a mass base.
“A progressive youth group issued a friendly warning to 1Sambayan, that we can never be a genuine people’s coalition if we are not mass-based,” Coscolluela said.
“So we need to reach out to the grassroots and give people a voice. This local chapter provides an opportunity for people to regain their voice. We need to reach out and provide the venue for people to express their concerns, their priorities,” he said.
Members of the local chapter will be oriented about 1Sambayan’s ideals and objectives, Coscolluela said.
He said Filipinos must learn how to fight back against misgovernance, and discern the best candidates.
Candidates should be chosen based on the following criteria – competence, integrity, track record, trustworthiness, platforms, and their position on key issues such as the West Philippine Sea and the Anti-Terrorism Law, he said.
Winnability is important but should not be the main criterion, he said.
The long-term goal of 1Sambayan is a genuine political revolution through people empowerment, Coscolluela said.*