Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has called on government leaders, the opposition and other sectors to stop waiting for the 2028 elections before addressing the country’s problems.
Cayetano warned that ordinary Filipinos would bear the brunt of continued political disagreements as families struggle with rising economic pressures and an uncertain future.
“Let’s not make the ordinary Filipino suffer because we leaders – [in] business, in media, in the church, in education – can’t agree. Kasi magsa-suffer ang lahat,” he said in a Facebook livestream on November 11.
According to Cayetano, leaders should work toward a common national vision instead of leaving the country’s problems for the next administration.
“Life is hard and is getting harder [for Filipinos],” he said.
“Kung sasabihin natin na, ‘Let’s wait for 2028,’ para nating sinabi na i-surrender na natin y’ung next three years at pabayaan mo na lang na maghirap ang lahat,” Cayetano added.
The senator cited the disputes over the national budget, the flood control corruption scandal and the impeachment trial as among the issues adding to the country’s political uncertainty.
Cayetano also expressed concern that declining public trust in government officials was affecting business confidence.
“We’re not only talking about a hard 2027, we’re talking about a hard next three years… The trust in public officials is one of our main problems now,” he said.
While acknowledging the need for the opposition to challenge wrongdoing, Cayetano said political disagreements should not prevent leaders from working together on issues affecting the public.
“Yes, like anyone else, especially sa opposition, we look forward to a new administration, a different administration later on. But we can’t give up now,” he said.IMT
