Bets trade barbs as fight for partylist seats heightens
Nominees for some 55 slots allotted to party-list representatives in Congress are engaged in a different war.
With the issue as to who the real voice of the real marginalized sector in the country on the forefront, the fight has enlivened the campaign even more.
In Iloilo, campaign materials such as paper posters, flyers and streamers have now adorned and littered public plazas and sidewalks as the government's caution for fake party-list groups hang. One of those subjects of the public warning are left-leaning party-list groups such as Bayan Muna and Gabriela.
In a provincial sortie, Aksyon Sambayanan or AKSA made its initial local media appearance in Western Visayas here in Iloilo City. AKSA has since gathered easy public acceptance yet has become the target of attacks of Bayan Muna and Gabriela supporter, partylist representative Loretta Rosales.
As such, a challenge was hurled by AKSA president and nominee Timoteo Aranjuez.
"LET'S look at our respective memberships and see who is more representative of the country's marginalized sectors!," AKSA in a news statement sent to The News Today (TNT) said in reaction to the charge that AKSA is one of the "administration fronts" courtesy of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.
"Aksyon Sambayanan took exception to the allegation, stressing that it is a social movement comprised mostly by organized basic sectors. Madame's allegation against our group is foul, self-serving and cheap black propaganda. Calling AKSA a project of one person is an insult to our members who are mostly urban poor, workers, marginal fishers, women and those belonging to the informal sector," Aranjuez said.
Aranjuez, a veteran labor leader, noted that the solon's group is not a better representative of the basic sectors than AKSA. "Our membership, leadership and nominees are more marginalized than theirs, " he said.
Aranjuez stressed that government had no participation in the formation of AKSA and it does not give any funding assistance to the group. "We are in fact cash-strapped and this is hampering our campaign."