Jessica Soho conducts Presidential Interview special segment for the Halalan 2022

Danielle Margareth Piler

SATURDAY, January 22, 2022 - Since the Halalan 2022 is just around the corner, the top four (4) presidential contenders had an exclusive interview with none other than Ms. Jessica Soho, a well-known Filipino Broadcast Journalist. It is for the public to know where they stand on key social problems, what policies they will enact, and how they will respond to the controversies that people hurl at them.

Five (5) presidential candidates were invited to the interview: Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Senator Manny Pacquiao, Vice President Leni Robredo, and Bongbong Marcos. However, BBM could not attend the aforementioned interview for specific reasons, leaving the four (4) aspirants in attendance. Sen. Ping Lacson was the only one interviewed via Zoom, as he was found positive for the COVID-19 virus last January 7.

Continuing with the exclusive interview, the aspirants were asked such profound questions despite the first query: “What is wrong with us? Ano ang iyong diagnosis o sa tingin ninyo ay sakit nating mga Pilipino at ano ang gamot o prognosis for recovery?”

Sen. Lacson was the first one to answer. He spotlighted that Filipinos have become dreamless, hopeless, and helpless, to which he went on to say that the government should be the first one to influence the Filipinos' minds for them to have a change of attitudes.

Vice President Leni then quoted: “Hindi tayo natuto sa mistakes in the past. Maraming mga leksyon na naibigay sa atin sa mga pagkakamali natin sa nakaraan, pero paulit-ulit natin itong ginagawa at parang hindi tayo natututo…” Concerning the prognosis, VP Leni stated that it should be entrenched in the educational system and reform it so that even a child recognizes and understands the difference between what is good and bad, and to avoid repeating the same mistakes again and again, like a never-ending cycle.

Meanwhile, Sen. Manny said that communication and unity are essential for the public to be able to overcome any difficulties that may arise.

For Manila Mayor Isko Moreno: “Sana matigil na talaga yung pasa-pasa ng pulitika sa kanilang mga kamag-anak, para naman magkaroon ng opportunity yung ibang tao na makapamili sa mga lider…”

Ms. Jessica Soho then asked them some simple questions that got nothing to do with politics to showcase their different personalities. There's also a segment called "Isang Salita," in which photos will be flashed over the screen, and presidential candidates must​​ respond with a one-word description of the image seen.

Candidates were also asked such critical topics, and some even had follow-up questions. A few of the highlights included Ms. Jessica's question to VP Leni regarding her statement last September 17, 2021, which says: “Kung one-on-one na Bongbong Marcos, lalaban ako kahit dehado.” VP Leni deliberated before deciding to run as a president for a long time. On the other hand, her statement made the public believe that her primary motivation for participating in the presidential elections is to square off against Bongbong Marcos.

With this in mind, VP Leni cleared the matter on hand. She stated it is not her primary motivation but it is one of the factors that helped her decide to run as a president.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao was also questioned for being a top absentee from 2010 to 2016 while still a congressman. He also became a top absentee from July 2018 to June 2019 in the senate. However, his attendance was flawless between July 2020 and June 2021. “Sinabi ninyong hindi balakid ang pagiging absent para gampanan ang tungkulin. Uubra kaya ito kapag nanalo kayong pangulo?” questioned Ms. Jessica Soho.

“Na-correct ko na po yung mga bagay na ‘yan. Noong araw po, absent po ako palagi noong congressman pa po ako dahil busy po ako sa pagpapagawa ng mga bahay, yung housing ko sa Sarangani. Kaya doon po ako palagi sa distrito ko…” According to Sen. Manny now that he’s a senator, it’s not necessary to be absent since it’s absolutely crucial to do their work and to help other people. He also added that he will show all the Filipinos that he is a disciplined man, resulting in his perfect attendance.

As Ms. Jessica concerns Sen. Ping Lacson's statement during the year 2017, a year after President Duterte's appointment as President of the Philippines says: “In spite of all the cussing and unstatesmanlike demeanor, I will continue to support him and his programs because obviously, he is not the “more of the same” type of leader. Having said that, change is more likely to happen during his term because he is different.”

It is clear that Sen. Lacson supports President Duterte; nevertheless, when he launched his candidacy, he stated something different than before: “Tama na, at kaunting tiis nalang.” To which Ms. Jessica abruptly asked him, “Ano ba ang inyong paninindigan tungkol kay Pangulong Duterte at sa kaniyang administrasyon, maituturing ba kayong parte ng oposisyon?”

“Ako, I’ve always been consistent, ano. Ang tama ay ipaglaban, ang mali ay labanan. Kinicriticize ko si Pangulong Duterte maski noong una pa. Noong nag-chair ako ng committee on public order in illegal drugs, nagki-criticize ako. In fact, I called him out several times. Pero, kung panahon naman at mayroon siyang ginawa na dapat purihin, bakit hindi natin dapat purihin?” Sen. Lacson further highlighted that just because someone is a Dilawan does not mean that everything they say is maka-Dilaw and the same is true for someone who is a DDS.

The final interviewee, Mayor Isko Moreno, was also questioned whether there is still a little prospect of unification among Sen. Lacson, Sen. Manny, VP Leni, and himself. Mayor Isko responded, “Kung ang unification ay pag-uusapan yung katayuan kung paano iaahon ang tao, e’di sasali ako. Pero kung ang unification ay para lang naman sa isang kandidato, e’di sila-sila nalang. Eto at least, kahit papaano, in my own little way, binibigyan ko ng option—ikaw, at ang iyong pamilya, at ang ating mga manonood kung saka-sakali, mayroon kayong pagpipilian na iba which is available naman.”

Ms. Jessica requested a follow-up question from Mayor Isko due to his response. “So, hindi niyo nakikita yung possibility na ‘pagka nagsama-sama kayo, mas may laban?”

“Eh yung unification naman na gusto nila eh yung unification sa karera ng pulitika nila, eh. Ang gusto kong unification, yung unification para maiayos ang tao. Kung doon ang punta, I’ll be there.”

The anticipated presidential interview concluded after three hours. For more information, the campaign period for the nationally-elected position will start on February 8, 2022. The locally elected seats will begin on March 25, 2022, and both will conclude on May 7, 2022. The voting for Elections 2022, on the other hand, will take place on May 9, 2022. Remember to be open-minded, question the candidates, research, and vote wisely on the upcoming Halalan 2022.

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