Press Release
February 11, 2019

Otso Diretso to focus on easing life for Filipino family: Sen. Kiko

Otso Diretso senatorial candidates will focus on easing the life of the Filipino family, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Monday, eve of the start of the 90-day national campaign period.

The Otso Diretso senatorial candidates Gary Alejano, Bam Aquino, Chel Diokno, Samira Gutoc, Pilo Hilbay, Romy Macalintal, Mar Roxas, and Erin Tañada based their legislative agenda on the people's hopes and fears from the nationwide face-to-face listening Project Makinig.

They themselves knocked on doors and talked to ordinary folk all over the country, said Pangilinan, Otso Diretso campaign manager.

"Itong ating mga kandidato ay matagal nang naglilingkod sa bayan, may angking galing sa serbisyo, at di matatawaran ang paninindigan," he said, adding that voting for the right people will result in the real change that the Filipino people need: affordable, available, and accessible food, education, and health services, as well as decent jobs.

"Our campaign would be uphill as most of them are relatively unknown in the national stage. Pero nasisiguro ko na pag nakilala sila ng ating mga kababayan, pipiliin sila para maging mga lingkod-bayan sa senado," Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan, who himself ran a difficult independent but successful run in 2007, said the people would be key in the victory for the Otso Diretso candidates through Makinig 2.0.

Taking off from the 10-week Project Makinig late last year, Makinig 2.0 is the face-to-face, volunteer-driven persuasion campaign for the highly qualified Otso Diretso senatorial candidates for the May 2019 elections.

He noted how the first phase of Project Makinig was able to mobilize 9,800 volunteers to talk to 116,000 people about the latter's hopes and fears for themselves, their family, and the country.

"Makinig 2.0 is our version of People Power, empowering ordinary citizens so that they are able to make the right choice for senators and empowering them to campaign for these choices," said Pangilinan, who is not running for re-election.

"This campaign strategy of going house-to-house is a game-changer. It has not been done on a national scale," he added.

Part of the result of Project Makinig is a list of laws that Otso Diretso candidates will pursue when they win. These will be revealed in the press conference that will kick off the national campaign with the launch of Makinig 2.0 in Caloocan City on February 12, Tuesday.

Unlike resource-rich traditional politicians who will launch their electoral campaigns through a massive proclamation rallies, the Otso Diretso candidates will start their campaign going back to the people, sharing each other's stories.

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