MABALACAT CITY — Senatorial candidates in the 2022 elections participated in a forum wherein they presented their platforms to Central Luzon voters.
The Forum: Central Luzon (TFCL) is a series of townhall assemblies aimed to know how national and local candidates in the May 9, 2022 polls intend to approach and formulate plans and programs on education, environment, business, infrastructure, and the challenge to health and medicine brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, given the unique landscape of the region.
Mabalacat City College (MCC) Chief of Staff Charmaine Venturina shared that the first two episodes amplified the advocacy of MCC and its partners of relaying to the residents that voting is an informed choice, and something to be checked on, and studied about.
“I am very proud because based on the comments we received, we found out that we are not alone in the advocacy of not only letting people know that they have the right to vote but also that they do it because they are informed, because they checked and researched about their candidates, and assed if they have the moral compass in terms of what they want to happen in the country and their locality,” she pressed.
TFCL’s first episode which aired on March 16 already garnered about 8,500 views, while the second episode, aired on March 18, has around 8,200 views combined, as of March 21.
The episodes are live streamed via the Facebook pages of MCC as the lead organizer, and its partners including Philippine Information Agency Region 3, Pampanga Press Club, and Metro Angeles City Journalists Association; and televised on CLTV36, and GNN TV44.
In addition, Venturina underscored that they have been receiving good reviews on the uniqueness of the regionalized and localized problems asked to the candidates as these are rarely being tackled about on debates organized by other media outfits or networks.
“The questions will be different for each episode because the issues for Senatorial candidates are more on regional issues. We should also have different nature of questions for the Party-list representatives… We also have a different flavor for local candidates as the questions are more pointed out, focused, and specific in the place where they are seeking a position,” she shared.
Questions raised were from the different sectors of the society such as those in the academe, youth leaders, workers, historians and local artists, media, and common folks.
The six Senatorial candidates who guested on the first two episodes were first given one minute and thirty seconds to deliver their opening statements which describe what kind of Senators they will be, if elected.
Each candidate is then given one minute to answer general questions mainly about the dispute on land ownership between the indigenous peoples and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority; traffic congestion in Subic and Clark economic zones; land conversion in Nueva Ecija as the Rice Granary Capital of the Philippines; and deficiency in the delivery of healthcare services particular to the senior citizens.
The Senatoriables also shared their plans on issues such as educational reform as response to the effect of the pandemic; mandating all male citizens of age to render military service; programs for regional languages, cinema, culture, and local history; and the prevention of online gambling in communities.
Apart from these, also included in the forum are “fast questions” or questions with one-liner answers, which mainly tackled the Senate committee the candidates want to be part of, and the first legislation they would seek to pass, if elected.
Candidates were also asked to answer “agree”, “disagree”, or “undecided” in pressing topics such as the reopening of the Bataan nuclear powerplant, abolishment of candidate substitution in election law, same sex marriage, federalism, and legalizing abortion for pregnant rape victims.
They were also asked about their stand on national issues including the abolishment of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, full cooperation with the International Criminal Court, adopting divorce in the Family Code, and amendment of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2022.
The Senatorial candidates were also given one minute each for their closing statements.
With these, Venturina encouraged both national and local candidates to join the forum and use this as an instrument in informing the Central Luzon voting population about their platforms as the next leaders of the country.
“We are banking on TFCL to be the avenue for you to show us that you really want to help us, especially now that we have been facing so many crises that are very important to us. We hope that you will take this chance for us to know you, to know your platforms, and to know your plans for us and the whole country,” she stated.
She also invited the public to watch the program to be able to know the candidates, evaluate them, and make an informed choice on the coming election day.
“We are voting not only because of ourselves. We are voting for those who are not given the chance to vote, or who are still not yet qualified to vote. We are voting because the future of our children lies on those candidates that we will be voting for,” she concluded.
TFCL will be featuring Party-list representatives on March 23 and 25 at 7:00 PM, while Gubernatorial candidates, and Pampanga Mayoral bets were invited to guest for the succeeding episodes.
SOURCE: Jag Lyra D. Costamero (PIA3)
