Revillame bats for healthcare, jobs, education: ‘Basic muna tayo’
Senatorial candidate Willie Revillame (INQUIRER.net file photo/ Arnel Tacson)
MANILA, Philippines — Healthcare, jobs and education are top-of-mind for television show host and senatorial candidate Willie Revillame, adding that he wanted to address Filipinos’ basic needs.
“Alam niyo: 27 years, ang bulong sa akin ng lahat: pambili gamot, panglibing, pang-edukasyon, pang-aral. Yan ang nakikita ko. Sa pag-iikot ko, yan ang laging sinasabi,” Revillame said in his speech at the Quezon City Hall flag raising ceremony on Monday.
(You know: for 27 years, what everyone asks of me: money to buy medicine, for burials, for education, for studies. That’s what I see. In my travels, that is what’s always said.)
“Yung nanonood sa akin na 600 people every day sa programa, yan ang laging hinanaing: gamot, trabaho, at edukasyon. These are the basic needs ng mga Pilipino. Basic muna tayo. Saka na tayo maglagay ng mga matitinding mga kaso, mga bills, mga batas,” he added.
(The 600 people who watch me every day in my program, that’s always what they want: medicine, jobs and education. These are the basic needs of the Filipinos. Let’s stick with the basics. Let’s tackle the hard cases, bills and laws later.)
On corruption
Revillame also discussed instances when he would turn the tables at interviews and ask the interviewer about issues.
“Gusto ko malaman ano hinanaing ng bawat Pilipino. Lagi ako nagtatanong: ano problema ng bansa? Sasabihin kaagad: korapsyon, paghihirap. Edi alam ko na kung ano problema,” he said.
(I want to know the grievances of every Filipino. I always ask: what’s the problem of the country? It’d be said immediately: corruption, poverty. So, I know what the problem is.)
“Pero para sa akin, uunahin ko na yung mahihirap kaysa yung sa korapsyon. Alam niyo bakit? Para mas mahaba ang buhay ng ating mga kababayang mahirap. Kasi marami nang batas na ginawa para sa korapsyon,” he added.
(But for me, I’d put poor people first over corruption. You know why? So that our less fortunate fellow countrymen’s lives are longer. So many laws have already been made to address corruption.)
Revillame then turned to Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto and asked: “Mayroon na bang nakulong sa korapsyon? (Has anybody ever been jailed for corruption?)”
“For how many years, puro kinasuhan, pinatawag sa Senado. May nakulong ba? (For how many years, they’re all just charged with cases, called to the Senate,)” he stressed.
