MANILA — Presidential candidate Ka Leody de Guzman on Tuesday night said his party had filed an application for a permit with the Commission on Elections to conduct a proclamation rally at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.

But this application, however, was not completed allegedly due to missing documents.

In post-proclamation rally interview, Ka Leody says his party, Partido Lakas ng Masa, filed an application for permit on Feb 6 but this was not completed. Says his lawyers are sorting out the issue. pic.twitter.com/kUEDFaaKbE

— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) February 8, 2022

“Nagpasa na noong February 6 pa ata ba, February 6 ata…may inaayos pang dokumento…Mukhang inihahabol,” he told reporters shortly after pushing through with the event.

(We filed on February 6, I think February 6. There are documents that are being fixed. We’re trying to finish them.)

De Guzman could not however specify what particular documents were missing, attributing the statement instead to his lawyers at the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), whom he said, was in charge of applying for permits.

“Hindi ko natanong kung ano yung mga specific na kulang na mga requirement,” he said, remaining optimistic that the issue can still be sorted out.

(I was not able to ask what specific requirements were lacking.)

“Tingin ko maaayos (I think it can still be fixed),” he added.

De Guzman was all set to hold a motorcade from his house in Cainta, Rizal to Sg. Esguerra Avenue in Quezon City just in front of the ABS-CBN compound to link up with labor groups and march towards the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.

The whole program was meant to be symbolic — the motorcycle ride was to symbolize his support for motorcycle-riding laborers and riders some of whom are often flagged at checkpoints, ABS-CBN to symbolize his support for press freedom and the thousands of workers who lost their jobs due to the shutdown of the company’s broadcast service, and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani to symbolize ordinary people who fought against the dictatorship.

But the poll body, in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, revealed De Guzman’s team had not secured a permit, a requirement under Comelec Resolution No. 10732, which must be done 72 hours before any election campaign activity.

The Comelec said a violation of this rule would constitute an election offense, which under the same guidelines, could lead to imprisonment of up to 6 years or disqualification of a candidate from holding public office. The political party may also be fined.

De Guzman says they will likely push thru with proclamation rally despite lack of Comelec permit and will just study how to explain the matter to the poll body. But he hopes it won’t be used as a ground for his disqualification.

He’s not also sure if ABS-CBN rally has permit. pic.twitter.com/HZ1fNkpLXu

— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) February 8, 2022

The news caught De Guzman by surprise but he immediately said he was more inclined to push through with the proclamation rally, given the preparations already in place.

A stage had already been put up at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani on Tuesday morning while various groups have been mobilized to attend the proclamation rally, with his team initially estimating between 1,200 to 1,500 attendees.

De Guzman however hoped the activity won’t lead to his disqualification.

“Siyempre kung aabot sa disqualification, mabigat ‘yun…sana hindi naman ganoon…kung may pagkukulang…sana hindi naman umabot sa disqualification at ‘yun ang aaralin,” he said.

(Of course, if it reaches disqualification, that’s tough. I hope it won’t reach that stage. If there are inadequacies, I hope it won’t end up with disqualification. That’s what we’re going to study.)

Despite the risk of committing an election offense, De Guzman, at just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, decided to board a motorcycle and push through with the planned series of activities at ABS-CBN and Bantayog ng mga Bayani.

PROCLAMATION RALLY

In the 2 1/2-hour proclamation rally Tuesday night, nothing was said about the issue of the absence of a Comelec permit.

Instead, the program went as planned — first introducing Partido Lakas ng Masa’s nominees for party-list representatives and then De Guzman’s senatorial candidates.

Senatorial bet and environmental advocate David D’Angelo recalled his difficult childhood which he said partly motivated him to run.

He urged the audience: “Huwag na nating ipanakaw ang bukas. (Let’s not allow our future to be stolen).”

Another environmental advocate and senatorial candidate Roy Cabonegro reminded the audience: “Hindi tayo kailangan ng kalikasan pero kailangan natin ang kalikasan para mabuhay.” (Our environment does not need us but we need our environment in order to live.)

Fellow-senatorial candidate and labor leader Luke Espiritu came out swinging against politicians senator Sherwin Gatchalian, former senator Manny Villar and presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

He particularly singled out the claim of Marcos supporters that the Marcoses owned “Tallano gold” which could solve the country’s problems.

Marcos had said in a recent interview, he hasn’t seen any gold in his entire life.

“Galit sa trapo (traditional politicians) pero ibinoboto pa rin ang mga trapo,” Espiritu said.

But he clarified he does not blame the Filipino electorate.

“Tayo’y desperado na kaya tayo’y bulnerable sa budol-budol,” he said. (We are desperate that’s why we’re vulnerable to fraud.)

In his speech, vice presidential candidate Walden Bello blamed a “sick president” for the Philippines’ “sick man of Asia” monicker, before proceeding to his usual lecture about what’s wrong with the Philippine economy — policies dictated by international banks and foreign countries, political dynasties and business groups.

“Ang kaisa-isang paraan para masugpo ang pag-aakit sa isang desperadong bansa na bumalik sa nakaraang bangungot na diktadura ay ang pag-aalok sa ating mamamayan na maging kasama sa paglikha ng kinabukasan na nararapat para sa kanila: isang tunay na demokratikong Pilipinas,” he said.

(The only way to prevent a desperate people from being seduced into going back to a nightmarish authoritarian past is by offering them a program that would make them participants in the creation of the future they deserve: a truly democratic Philippines.)

“Ano ang programang ito? Sa dalawang salita, Democratic Socialism or Sosyalismong Demokratiko,” he added.

(So what is this program? In two words, Democratic Socialism.)

De Guzman, for his part, played up the class struggle card.

“Ang ating mga gobyerno ay hindi natin gobyerno. Ang ating gobyerno ay gobyerno ng mga kapitalista sa ating lipunan. Kaya’t ang nangyayari, ang mga mayayaman, ang malalaking kapitalista sa ating bayan ay yaman nang yaman at tayong mga nasa baba na mga mahihirap ay hirap nang hirap,” he said.

(Our government is not really our government. Ours is a government governed by capitalists in our society. What happens is that the rich and the capitalists get richer while the poor ones likes us get poorer and poorer.)

“Walang iba, tayo mismo ang makalulutas sa ating problema at ngayong halalan ay isang magandang pagkakataon para baguhin ang takbo ng pulitika. Dapat pulitika ng masa at baguhin ang ekonomiya dapat ekonomiya ng masa, ekonomiya ng sambayanan hindi ng iilan,” he added.

(No one else but us can solve our problems. The elections is a good chance to change the course of our politics. It should be the politics of the masses and the economy should be the economy of the masses, the economy of the people and not of the few.)

Echoing this rhetoric, both De Guzman and Bello teamed up in a campaign video highlighting the importance of putting ordinary people first.

They said that if elections were a numbers game, then it should be the ordinary Filipinos, affected by the pandemic, that should determine the outcome of the May 2022 polls.

“Magsama-sama tayo. Tayo naman,” they said. (Let’s come together. It’s our turn.)