Otso Diretso bets not thankful to Duterte for mocking them

BINMALEY, Pangasinan — Senatorial candidates under the Otso Diretso opposition coalition will not be thankful to President Rodrigo Duterte for mentioning them, albeit in the form of mockery, in his speeches during the campaign events of the PDP-Laban party.

The opposition candidates made such remark in response to the statement of presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo that they should be grateful to the President who has been mocking them in his public campaign speeches.

"Hindi kami nagpapasalamat sa totoo lang. Dahil nga ang tingin namin, talagang nililihis lang yung issue," former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay told reporters at the sidelines of the coalition's campaign sortie here.

"Ang gusto naming makausap ay yung mga kandidato niya, pero ang malinaw sa akin ay yung ginagawa ng presidente ay siya yung sumasalo ng issue dahil gusto niya siya yung mapag-usapan," he added.

Panelo earlier said the President was doing the opposition candidates a favor when he mentions them in his speeches.

"They should be thankful," Panelo said. "Siguro tinutulungan niya para umangat ng konti dahil masyadong mababa."

But Hilbay cried foul over the mockery that they receive from Duterte. In fact, he himself has been accused gay by the President.

"Kinukutya [niya] yung mga kandidato ng Otso Diretso, ang ibig sabihin, hindi tayo nakakapag-usap tungkol sa mga issue na napakaimportante sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan," he said.

Hilbay asserted that the elections are about the people and the issues they face on a daily basis, and they need to be discussed during campaign activities.

"Yun yung ayaw pag-usapan ng administrasyon. Kaya nililihis tayo sa pangungutya sa Otso Diretso. Kung anu-anong kabalbalan yung sinasabi, parang nawawala yung importansya ng eleksyon na para sa mga taumbayan," Hilbay said.

For her part, Marawi civic leader and senatorial candidate Samira Gutoc advised Duterte to mock not the Otso Diretso candidates but the administration-allied ones who refuse to appear and participate in debates.

"Yes, nasa top sila ng survey pero baka hindi nila mai-assert ang kailangan sabihin kapag nasa Senado na sila. Kutyain niya ang sarili niyang grupo, baka hindi nila maipaglaban ang dapat ipaglaban," Gutoc said.

"Sana, President, rather than focusing on kinukutya mo kami, yung mga kasama ko, kutyain mo rin yung mga sarili mong kandidato. Baka oras na nilang manindigan din," she added.

Hilbay and Gutoc are joined in Pangasinan by representatives of their fellow opposition candidates who could not make it to their sortie here as they have their own campaign events in other parts of the country.

The candidates and the representatives are set to hold several market visits around Pangasinan to introduce themselves to the locals as well as to pay courtesy visit to the local government officers. — RSJ, GMA News