MANILA — Labor leader and Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential candidate Leody de Guzman on Tuesday admitted defeat in the 2022 polls after placing 8th among 10 candidates, according to partial and unofficial election results.

As of 10:32 a.m., De Guzman got 91,050 votes compared to Bongbong Marcos' 30,731,560 votes from 104,451 of 107,785 clustered precincts, according to partial and unofficial election results from the Commission on Elections.

“Hindi ko naman na ilalaban ‘yung malayong boto ko, hindi ko na ilalaban ‘yan para makaabot pa ako pero ako naman ay naniniwala na mayroong dapat ipaliwanag ‘yung Comelec sa dami ng report ng irregularities, sa dami ng report ng reklamo ng mga tao mula roon sa ground, sa bilangan, trasmittal, hanggang sa results na inilalabas ng Comelec. Tingin ko dapat magpaliwanag ‘yung Comelec sa mga inirereklamo ng taumbayan,” de Guzman told ABS-CBN News.

(I will no longer contest my numbers, which are a far cry from that of the frontrunner. But I feel like the Comelec has to explain the irregularities, the complaints from people on the ground, the problems with counting, the transmittal, and the results. The Comelec has to respond to the complaints of the people.)

While expecting the lead of the late dictator’s son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., de Guzman said his “steady” difference with Vice President Leni Robredo does not add up.

“Dapat may ipaliwanag ‘yung Comelec diyan kasi parang hindi na papasa sa prinsipyo ng mathematics, ng data, o ng pag-evolve ng mga datos. Hindi pwedeng parang ganoong kaeksakto considering na ang pinanggagalingan ng boto ay iba’t ibang lugar. Hindi papasa ‘yung ganoong consistency, 47 percent na lamang, may something na dapat ipaliwanag ang Comelec,” he said.

(Comelec must explain the data because these do not align with the principles of mathematics or evolution of data. It's not possible that the gap between the top contenders is always 47 percent, even though the votes are coming from different places.)

De Guzman has admitted gaps in their campaign efforts but said his candidacy has put a spotlight on issues affecting Filipino workers.

He is hoping that his bid would jumpstart conversations about the Philippine elections and mold the people’s deeper appreciation in electing leaders.

“May pagtanggap naman ako na itong laban na ‘to ay magiging mahirap para sa akin, uphill na battle ito at hindi naman pwede na one click, mababago ‘yung mga pananaw, pag-iisip, kultura ng ating mga botante na mahabang hinulma sa ganitong klase ng eleksyon mayroon tayo,” the labor leader said.

(I have accepted that this fight will be hard, that this will be an uphill battle, that viewpoints won't change in a single click with the electoral system we have.)

“May ganoon din akong pagtanggap na magkakahirapan pero sa buo ng eleksyon na ‘to ay magkaroon pa ng malaliman at mahabaang kampanya para sa mga katulad ko na ipaliwanag sa mamamayan na hindi pwede talaga na maasahan ang mga trapo at mga political dynasties, ang mga bilyunaryong pulitiko. Pwedeng manalo nga lang sa eleksyon pero sa panunungkulan nung ipinanalo bigo ka. Kaya ang panalo lang dito na kakatapos lang ay (sila) pa rin,“ he added.

( I have accepted that this won't be an easy fight but overall, I hope this election bring about a deeper conversation on how the people can't rely on traditional politicians and political dynaties, and billionaire politicians. You can win elections but you can fail during your administration.)

De Guzman lost in the 2019 midterm senatorial elections, placing 38th overall with 888,458 votes.

He is the chairperson of labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and founding member of party-list Partido Manggagawa.

A longtime labor rights activist, he is the country representative of the International Council of the International Center for Labor Solidarity.