Ka Leody on ‘anti-labor’ Montemayor: I thought Marcos was absent

Labor leader Leody De Guzman on Sunday taunted fellow presidential candidate Dr. Jose Montemayor Jr. for his supposedly anti-labor stance, remarking it was like former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos was present during the debate.

At the CNN Presidential Debate, the candidates were asked what made them decide to run in the 2022 presidential race. De Guzman said he wants to fight for the rights of workers as in the previous administrations, he claimed that the capitalists and huge businesses were given importance and not the laborers.

Montemayor then expressed that this should not be the focus of the government as the country is still recovering from the pandemic and that criminality and corruption must also be addressed.

"Puro manggagawa, ako rin naman manggagawa ako ah sa ospital... pero we are still in the COVID time, pandemic pa rin. Kung palagi na lang tayong ano, isang sektor na lang eh di tayo uunlad," Montemayor said.

He also claimed that some workers are accepting bribes.

The allegation did not sit well with De Guzman. He said he noticed that in the duration of the debate, Montemayor was just criticizing laborers. 

"Akala ko absent si Marcos nandito pala. Eh wala nang pinuri kung hindi kapitalista at wala nang kinagalitan kung hindi mga manggagawa kaya dinudurog ang hanay ng mga manggagawa..." De Guzman said.

"Sa panahon ng COVID, 2021, 28 to 94% ang tinaas na net worth ng mga kapitalista sa panahong nagugutom ang ating mga mamamayan. Sobra-sobra na ang kayamanan ng kapitalista tapos lalaitin mo pa 'yung mga manggagawang bumubuhay sa ating lipunan," he added.

Montemayor was heard saying that he is not a capitalist.

Marcos declined the invitation to debate due to a prior schedule, his camp had said.

For former Foreign Affairs undersecretary Ernesto Abella, lifting the millions of Filipinos out of poverty was his main aim for seeking the presidency.

“Exactly yung sinasabi ni Ka Leody. Hindi naman kasi lahat ideolohiya and sagot. Ang mahalaga, na nakikita natin na sinasabi niya na tunay na framework. For example katulad niyan may 23 to 26 million people na mahirap ngayon o kaya umabot pa sa 78 million,” he said.

Abella, who is also a former presidential spokesperson of the Duterte administration, said he is running for the top post in order to work with the people.

“Ang experience ko kasi is working with the people. Nagministeryo ako 20 years, educator 20 years, credit cooperative 20 years.  Ang nakita ko, ang problema talaga of our institutions ay tao at kung tao ang problema, tao rin ang solusyon. At nakita ko na pwedeng hikayatin ang tao na magbago at pag nagbago Pilipino, magbabago ang Pilipinas,” he said.—LDF, GMA News