Press statement of Sen. Ralph Recto

Senatorial candidates are like newly-arrived inmates in a prison. They are forced to choose to which gang they must belong to, for their protection they are told. In the case of the May election, candidates are the subject of a tug-of-war between two camps, the recruitment being done by their respective bastoneros.

Strength in numbers is the sales pitch most often bruited about, but I believe that true strength lies in being independent. So I must, at the moment, be one. And if ever I must affiliate with one group, it should not be at the expense of surrendering that independence.

If I am going to be invited to a party, I would prefer one that would not require me to deposit that independence, and my principles, at the door.

This is the time to practice big tent politics, where candidates of various hues can work together under the canopy of mutual respect, where diversity is retained, not muted, where battle lines are simply not dichotomized between the pros and the antis, where messages are not massaged to fit any of the two molds.

The problem with herd politics is that those in it must always be shepherded. If I will side with one group for this election, it will be one that will allow its candidate the freedom to express his views, even if it goes against the interest of the shepherd.