Senatorial candidate former Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan III said the Filipino electorate is “hungry for change.”
“They are looking for permanent relief from their miseries, because year after year, their hopes are raised but nothing happens,” Alunan said during a roundtable discussion with Manila Bulletin editors in Intramuros, Manila yesterday.
“When I talk to them and look in their eyes, some are already resigned while others are hopeful.”
Alunan, running under the ticket of presidential bet Rodrigo R. Duterte, said that the Davao City Mayor is seen by the people as a symbol of “revolt” against all the lies, inaction, and failures they have endured during the past administrations.
Alunan said if elected, he will push for total national well-being and total quality of life; human and ecological security; criminal justice system reform; poverty reduction and national development; and internal security, public safety, and national defense.
He also said that it is important to set a definition for good governance. “During my time, (good governance) was defined as a government comprised of people who are matino and mahusay. “Therefore, there’s a need to remove from the government those who are not matino and mahusay.”
Alunan said to attain this, he will look into different laws to see if they are properly aligned or if there are provisions that have to be amended or added.
“The role of a senator is not just limited to making laws; it also extends to executive oversight, which means looking over the shoulders of the executive to see whether they are implementing the laws passed by Congress,” he said.
Alunan said that he is against the much-maligned “pork barrel” system but admitted that there are many justifications for the Priority Development Assistance Fund.
“That’s well and good if everybody is moral and legal about it, but since we live in an imperfect world, you can be sure that the pork barrel will always be misused and abused, so we’d rather not get into that,” he said.
(Jaimie Rose R. Aberia)
