Gordon, Binay kick off Senate campaign in Bicol, Batangas
SEN. Richard J. Gordon kicked off his reelection bid in the voterich Bicol region Tuesday joining as guest candidate in the caravan of Vice President Leni Robredo, who is running for President and her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
Seeking to serve a second term in the 24- member senate, gordon said he sees it as “an honor to be recognized as one of the candidates the tandem sees as a major player against corruption.”
“We went here to the beautiful and historic city of Naga today to appreciate the support thrown at us by our countrymen from Bicol as we start our journey towards six more years in the Senate ,” a grateful Gordon said, adding ,“K ami ayn ag pa pas ala mat sap ag kat nasusuklian ng Bicol ng pagmamahal sa amin, dahil hindi natin napabayaan ang mga nasalanta ng maraming kalamidad sa rehiyong ito.”
Former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay also separately launched his senatorial campaign in Batangas and vowed to pursue legislation that would provide the needed government assistance for sectors adversely affected by pandemic curbs.
“We need to help the workers in the government and private sector to recoverfast, small businesses, and all the other sector affected by the pandemic ,” said Binay, who is running under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) where he serves as party chairman.
Gordon is also among one of eight senatorial bets of the Robredo-pangilinan tandem represented in the kickoff of the election campaign period.
The senator also headed to various towns in Camarines Sur, including the Angat Buhay village in Lupi town, among other local government units, before culminating in a grand rally at Plaza Quezon in Naga in the late afternoon.
Gordon was also scheduled to head to nearby Sorsogon and Albay in the second day of his two-day bi col journey.
As chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, Gordon affirmed a vow to “continue combating corruption and incompetence in government” if he gets reelected.
A long-time chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, Gordon recalled responding to numerous natural disasters in the area, including the Mayon Volcano eruption, and countless powerful typhoons.
At the same time, Gordon moved to build and renovated tens of thousands of houses in the region that were badly damaged by the unforgiving force of Mother Nature.
The lawmaker likewise brought forth recognition to Bicolano patriot Wenceslao Vinzons, the youngest delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention, and fearless guerilla fighter during World War II.
Serving as Tourism secretary from 2002-04, Gordon also promoted Masbate’s famous rodeo and gave attention to the whale sharks swimming in Sorsogon through the “Watch our Whales” slogan, just one of the many introduced by the wildly-successful WOW Philipines campaign.
Binay, also a former Makati City mayor also said he will immediately propose a family care program for government and private sector workers.
The program, he explained, would provide food and cash aid, paid family leaves, interest free loans, and deferment or condonation of housing loans for working parents unable to report for work in order to care for their children.
For family members caring for sick and elderly parents, Binay said, he will also propose free medicine and hospital care for their loved ones, and reimbursement for out of pocket medical expenses.
“Rebuilding the economy is a national imperative. While doing so, government must also continue to extend aid to the poor and other sectors displaced by the pandemic and the extended lockdown. It must do so with urgency, efficiency, and a sense of compassion that recognizes basic human dignity instead of debasing it,” he said.