1 January 2016, 6:56 pm – UNITED Nationalist Alliance (UNA) vice-presidential bet Sen. Gregorio
“Gringo” Honasan II urged young voters Thursday to actively
participate in sociopolitical issues ahead of the upcoming national elections.
“The only way [the youth] can make a difference is to be aware of the
‘youth vote.’ And I don’t think there is a youth vote at the moment,” Honasan
said in a press conference at the New Horizon Hotel on Jan. 14.
Honasan said “youth votes” were still “driven by pick-up [and hugot]
lines,” and needed to be focused on issues. “The voting youth still choose
candidates based on personalities instead of platforms,” he added.
The lawmaker, who had led coup attempts versus presidents Corazon Aquino
and Gloria Arroyo, warned young people not to form perceptions on candidates
based on popular or social media opinions.
“It’s not about [the] visibility. It’s about platforms and
programs,” he said.
The lawmaker also said the youth should learn from the mistakes of the
previous generation.
Honasan rose to national prominence during the 1986 EDSA “People
Power” Revolution after helping then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile in
a plan to overthrow the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, which led to the
installation of Corazon Aquino as president. He later led dissatisfied military
personnel in several power grab attempts versus Aquino.
Honasan, who is running under Vice President Jejomar Binay, has a
separate slogan, “Patas Ang Laban.” He will also release his own platform.
He is on his fourth and last term in the Senate. He won a Senate seat in
1995 and was reelected in 2001, 2007, and 2013.
The press conference was organized by BlogWatch, a citizen blog, in
partnership with Aktiboto, a voter education program spearheaded by the UST
Central Commission on Elections. Paul Xavier Jaehwa C. Bernardo
