If elected, Senate aspirants Colmenares, Labog say COVID-19 response measures are priority

Makabayan Coalition senatorial bets Neri Colmenares and Elmer Labog on Thursday presented their platform for the 2022 national elections, with COVID-19 pandemic response efforts on top of the list.

During a press conference, Colmenares said they would push for a better healthcare system that will provide free health services to the public, including free mass testing, free contact tracing and free vaccines in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ang laman po nito, una muna siyempre budget. Isusulong namin ito sa Senado, budget para sa sistemang pangkalusugan. In fact, ilalaban namin ang free healthcare. Ibig sabihin, libreng gamot, libreng pagamot. Ito 'yung parang isang bagay na itutulak ng Makabayan sa Senado o sa Kongreso," Colmenares, a former party-list representative, said.

(We will push for budget for an improved healthcare system. We will push for free healthcare, meaning free medicines and health services.)

To help the economy recover from the pandemic, the two will also work for measures that will push for a P750 national minimum wage, increase the social pension of senior citizens to P1,500, and enact a wealth tax for the richest Filipinos as a way to raise government funds.

They also vowed to work to end contractualization in the country.

"Mahalaga para sa aming mga manggagawa ay wakasan ang sistema ng endo at kontraktuwalisasyon, isabatas ang P750 national minimum wage sa lahat ng manggagawa," Labog said.

(It's important to us to end the system of contractualization and to set by law the national minimum wage of workers at P750 per day.)

Colmenares, also a human rights lawyer, also vowed to fight for human rights and democracy if he wins next year's elections. The Bayan Muna chairperson also called for a stop on the alleged extrajudicial killings because of the drug war.

"Dapat lang ang bagong administrasyon sa 2022, hindi lang nagsasalita kung hindi isagawa, pinagtatanggol din ang demokrasya at karapatang pantao," Colmenares said.

(The incoming administration should really fight for democracy and human rights and not just talk about it.)

Further, the two included in their platform the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the resumption of the peace talks with the communist rebels, and the release of all political prisoners.

They also vowed to push for the enactment of an anti-political dynasty law and amendments to the party-list law "to protect it from being hijacked by political dynasties and powerful political and business interests," Colmenares and Labog said in a statement.

The Makabayan Coalition has yet to declare who among the presidential bets they will support in the coming elections. —KBK, GMA News