Wazzup Pilipinas!?
Netizens expressed their concern over a recent statement of Ka Leody De Guzman which he posted on social media.
His post somehow raised issues relating to his perception of VP Leni Robredo, of which commenters are worried that his statement was sort of "misogynistic" mainly because he mentioned the past female presidents Cory Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo...and how VP Leni Robredo seems to be motivated alone by the same goal to bring down the present administration. Just as how Aquino to Marcos, Arroyo to Estrada, and now Robredo to Duterte.
"Ang babaw naman po ng tingin ninyo kay VP Leni sa sinabi nyong gusto lang nyang wakasan ang pagbabalik ni Duterte at Marcos. Tutol din sya sa contractualization. Maganda din ang plano nya sa labor. So si Leni pa ang nanghati ng boto ngayon? Magaling."
"Ka Leody has raised some important points about class struggle and the continuous rule of the bourgeoisie.
Pero hold up......hindi lang si Cory at GMA ang naging problematic. Bakit puro babae ang tinira, including Leni?
Medyo off and misogynistic 'to, Ka Leody."
"Bilang mga lider ng bayan ay hindi maganda na punahin nyo ang hindi mga nagawa. Mas maganda na bigyan ng diin ang mga nagawa ng ating VP sa kabila ng mga panlalait ng mga katulad mga sinasabing mga tunay na lalaki sa larangan ng politika."
"Maganda na may babala na maaaring bumalik sa dati ang lahat at hindi hayagan at tuluyang maibigay sa manggawa't taongbayan ang nararapat, pero nagtitiwala po ako na sa pinamalas ni Robredo nitong 6 na taon, iba ang paradigm niya, pinahahalagahan."
"If Ka Leody hadn't posted an Facebook status na may low key attack on VP leni, I would have brushed that “maputlang spaghetti” tirade as a joke and maybe a coincidence. Pero hindi eh."
"....Isn’t the context of what Ka Leody is saying about Leni coming from the place of Leni and her camp shunning Ka Leody and his camp despite months of actively reaching out to them in order to form a united opposition?
This is something, I think, a lot of people don’t know about and understandably so. Personally, I found out fairly recently. I think there’s something to be said about Leni reaching out to Isko and Pacquiao but not to Ka Leody."
"Utterly and totally disappointed. it's saddening that all the male presidential candidates–yes even ka leody–spitting misogynistic remarks and targeting the only woman in the race"
"Misogyny is a serious matter and must never be downplayed. That said, the criticism of the political decisions of ruling class women is not in or by itself misogyny.
Ka Leody’s post, while a response to persistent questions from a Leni supporter, not only criticized Leni, Cory and Gloria. It reserved its most profound rancor for Marcos and Duterte, and also lambasted Isko and Manny as fake opposition.
I understand nevertheless that this was received as misogyny, and when someone says that they are hurt by misogyny, we should believe them. I have no doubt, too, that Leni, sadly, has faced and will continue to face misogyny throughout her career.
As for those who are cynically or cavalierly using the charge of misogyny for overtly partisan one-upmanship, however, they must know that their actions are harmful. Their use of the charge to avoid addressing substantive criticisms would be a gesture of bad faith."
Ka Leody released a statement on the matter:
"Politika ng mga bilyonaryo" - that tells a lot. Nasa kapitalistang bansa tayo, expected na iyan. Kahit sa mga socialist countries, meron din nyan. And lately, China which is communist, has embraced capitalism - hybrid or not. What needs to be focused on is to curb the excesses."
"Hindi ako namumuna dahil sa kanilang kasarian kundi dahil sa kanilang naging pagkukulang sa masa. Sa bandang huli, hindi pa rin nila naiwaksi ang nakagawiang politika ng mga bilyonaryo." -Ka Leody
"I dont think Ka Leody was misogynistic for comparing Leni to only Cory and GMA. Cory and GMA weren't singled out because they were women, but rather because they led their respective EDSAs which focused on Ferdinand Marcos/Erap in particular instead of systemic problems.
But to be balanced, it's not fair either to say or imply that Leni is anti-farmer or anti-worker. Also isn't fair to say or imply that Leni is running only to prevent BBM from becoming president. Eh di sana inendorse niya na lang si Isko di ba"
"Ka Leody is not a misogynist candidate because he is PRO-CHOICE. Sobrang clear naman sa stances niya that he's very supportive sa abortion, divorce, and other laws that will empower women. Leni failed to recognize that abortion is both women's right and a social class issue."
"For those confused, the criticism was all about the EDSA narrative that was being spun. Ka Leody’s candidacy stemmed from the failures of the 2 EDSAs. Nothing to do with Cory and Gloria being women."
"Pakibasa ang buong context ng post ni Ka Leody. He was criticizing the narrative being spun of Good vs Evil. Gloria vs Erap. Cory vs Marcos. People should stop cherry-picking criticsms so they can cry misogyny. Leni can take it. Hindi siya pabebe."
"Malaki ang aking respeto kay VP Leni at sa kanyang track record. Ngunit sa tingin ko lang ay mahalagang bigyan ng konteksto ang kanyang pagtakbo sa puntong ito ng ating kasaysayan nang hindi tayo humantong ulit sa mga pagkakamali ng nakaraan."- Ka Leody
Fair statement. I think the apology shows that Ka Leody really listens to constituents (more than I can say about most people running) but let’s also kill this narrative that Leni is ONLY there to stop B/B/M— she offers so much more!
Also, VP Leni may be focused to preventing the Duterte and Marcoses (which we clearly saw an alliance ever since the new administration too over.) but she also has other motivations if we'll consider her past activities and beliefs. Naturally, she's passionate against the possibility of having to continue with this kind of "bastos" government led by Duterte, that has clearly made us suffer. The pandemic could have been a blessing because we saw how Duterte is incompetent and full of himself with very little respect to his constituents.
I am in favor of presidential candidates that would offer something new but I must also consider if they would be capable enough to accomplish their promises. I don't want another Duterte laying out too good to be feasible objectives. They should be able to explain how their going to do them.
Check out KaLeodyKabataan to know more about him. Ka Leody is historically the first socialist labor leader to run for PH presidency. Here are some of his stances on key issues:
Labor leader and presidential aspirant Ka Leody de Guzman announced on Saturday his senatorial lineup for the 2022 elections.
Namely, Luke Espiritu, David D'Angelo, and Roy Cabonegro...with the more familiar personalities as guest candidates ( which includes Neri Colmenares, Risa Hontiveros, Chel Diokno, and Leila De Lima. There's two more guest candidates that are unfamiliar for me.
"Let's be realistic, please. Do you honestly think Ka Leody's votes will make a dent on another opposition candidate's votes? I mean, as big as Manny's or Isko's?"
I'm actually torn between voting for Ka Leody and VP Leni since we do have a better chance of winning if we do root for the more popular presidential candidate from the opposition, or anybody that has not shown any sign of being an enabler of the Duterte administration, or has expressed alliance with the Marcoses. This will be really tough for the voters.
Now what about Ka Leody's Senatorial line-up?
"We had been nominated to run for the Senate by the common people. It was never our intention but when we are asked to serve we gladly accept it. It is a great honor that I was able to be part of such great people headed by Ka Leody. Salamat po. Padayon!" - David D'Angelo
I know David personally, so I could vouch for his character and passion...and he does have a genuine desire to serve and rally behind important issues that need to be raised for both awareness and implementation towards a better society. As what I've said about Ka Leody, will my friend be able to also successfully fill the seat of a Senator? Is he qualified to become one?
I don't know about you guys, but I believe it's time we vote for new names/faces into government, and not always the same traditional politicians that have been around for years yet were not that very vocal and active in airing their sentiments to the rightful authorities or those officials up there at the higher, if not the top, positions in government.
We need someone who will not compromise their beliefs just to avoid confrontation or gain more allies or supporters, but listens and takes into consideration all the voices understanding that the people of this country could be compared to a classroom full of students. Each and everyone needs to be given the corresponding attention and importance. Enough of the majority wins ideology. We've witnessed how the majority has not always been right. Remember the 16 million votes for Duterte, and how the likes of Bato, Bong Go, Imee Marcos, and other personalities won as senators? We should also look at how our representatives in congress got a slot.
Unfortunately, we're too obsessed with voting only the familiar ones. Sadly, the election has become a popularity contest...and we're forgetting that those with funds or with powerful people helping finance the candidates run are getting the unfair advantage...and not too many are truly researching or getting to know the candidates thoroughly....minus all that hype brought about by their lavish campaign propaganda.
We need to become more critical of our choices. Otherwise, we're back to the same hell that we are experiencing right now.
We need less enablers.. That's should be our primary concern. Maybe these new faces could make the difference or not. So, let's find time to do our research since it's our future that is at stake.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
