1Sambayan: Carpio calls Duterte admin ‘incompetent,’ seeks ‘better alternative’

Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday called the Duterte administration “incompetent” as he vowed to offer a “better alternative” that will supposedly restore good governance in the country.

In his video message during the launch of 1Sambayan coalition, Carpio slammed the administration’s “mishandling” of the COVID-19 pandemic, South China Sea policy, moves to amend the 1987 Constitution, and alleged threats against businesses, media entities and critics.

“This government is really incompetent,” Carpio said.

“They’ve been tested and everybody’s saying kulelat sila [they performed badly]. So, we have to offer a better alternative to our people because we don’t want the same thing to happen again [and] to continue in the next six years.”

Carpio said only good governance will lift Filipinos out of poverty and bring economic development to the country.

“It is good governance that will restore the pride and dignity of the Filipino people,” he said.

Co-convenor and former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert Del Rosario said restoring good governance “has never been more critical.”

“To move forward, we need to remind ourselves of the fundamental principles that hold our nation together, which are currently under attack,” he said.

1Sambayan is a coalition of groups and personalities that aim to field a single opposition ticket in the 2022 national elections.

Its convenors and supporters include Carpio, del Rosario, former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, former Education secretary Armin Luistro, former Commission on Audit commissioner Heidi Mendoza, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers chairman Neri Colmenares, and the Magdalo party-list, among others.

Malacañang, in response, said it is too early to talk about politics given that the country is still facing  challenges brought about by the pandemic.

“It’s too early to discuss elections and politics,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said at a press briefing. “We always say that we should set aside politics because there is still a pandemic going on.”

Still, Roque wished Carpio and the rest of the coalition the “best.” — RSJ, GMA News