(Estrada's recent statement saying that it takes Php 5 Billion to win the Presidency should have galled millions of Filipinos because it indicates the kind of thinking that puts pesos and power before principles. What Estrada is saying is that Elections are bought (one way or the other) and that the ballot box is nothing more than a suggestion box in the eyes of the rich, influential, and powerful. Estrada is saying that your vote doesn't count and that YOU don't count. Estrada is saying that the only thing that matters is money... One question that lies at the heart of the 2010 Elections is whether or not we will vote for the likes of Villar (Php20 Billion) or Roxas (Php 5 Billion) on the basis of their ability to move billions of pesos? Both Villar and Roxas are said to be courting Estrada's favor and are angling to be endorsed as the opposition standard bearer -- whose opposition, however, has yet to be determined. In any case, there is only one candidate who is running on the basis of being the only real leader in the current crop of Presidential candidates and his track record speaks of a brand of leadership that moves people towards achieving great transformations... That's Richard Gordon.)
Gordon slams Erap intimidation
Gordon slams Erap intimidation
Says Gordon: "His message to the Filipino people is that only the rich can win, only the rich can be allowed to win. We are hearing this from a convicted plunderer. He is intimidating Filipino voters, intimidating candidates who aren't rich. He is telling Filipinos to measure a potential president by the size of his pockets alone. He wants Filipinos to elect people who will use their money to win, then use regulatory capture to make themselves even richer, to stifle growth, justice and equity in this country and keep it in the hands of the few. His politics are the politics of the wealthy, not politics of the people."
Gordon again emphasized: "What matters is a candidate's platform, their integrity, transparency, vision and commitment to the welfare of the people, not whether they are rich or not. Do they just dole out cash and keep the people as servants beggars, or does he empower them to make a future for their community, for their family, for themselves? To make that decision all you have to do is look at the candidate's track record: has he empowered people to take charge of their own lives? Has he uplifted and enobled the masses? Has he demonstrated that he has the ability to think out of the box, to find solutions and act on them."
He highlighted the recent downgrading of the Philippines as a free country by an international watchdog, in part because of the pardon given to Estrada. "That sent a message that the rich stick together regardless of the demands of justice. How can we honestly call ourselves a free country when a convicted plunderer, who's only track record is stealing from the Filipino people, gets pardoned for the sake of political convenience? Our people deserve better."
Concludes Gordon: "If we only choose to elect the rich and connected, our people will be condemned to find their fortunes outside out country, we will continue to bleed our brightest and our best to benefit other countries. If we want our nation to be the best, we must elect the bes
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