MANILA, Philippines – Labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Luke Espiritu announced their senatorial bid on Saturday, September 14.
De Guzman and Espiritu formalized their bid during the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)’s 31st anniversary.
De Guzman ran for president in 2022 under the Partido Lakas ng Masa, placing 8th with 92,070 votes. Prior to this, he also ran for the Senate in 2019 and ranked 38th.
In his bid for the country’s top post, De Guzman said he and his running mate Walden Bello ran to fight what they called the “Marcos-Duterte Axis of Evil.”
They also carried the line, “Bagong Politika, Bagong Ekonomiya (New Politics, New Economy),” and launched platforms anchored on economic stimulus, political reforms, and social development.
Espiritu, meanwhile, ran in the 2022 Senate race under the De Guzman-Bello ticket. He placed 34th with 3,470,550 votes.
Also a lawyer, Espiritu was former national president, official spokesperson, and labor organizer of the BMP. He also previously served as the national president of the Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms Federation.
Espiritu was also a Board of Trustees member of the Freedom from Debt Coalition and its legal counsel in its campaign against the privatization of electricity. – Rappler.com