Labor group leader Leody De Guzman running for president in 2022
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 28) — Labor group leader and former senatorial aspirant Leody De Guzman accepted the nomination of progressive groups to be their presidential candidate for the 2022 national elections.
The Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) political party named De Guzman - chairperson of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino - as standard bearer during its national convention on Tuesday.
"Tinatanggap ko ang hamon niyo," responded De Guzman, also known as Ka Leody, during the virtual conference.
[Translation: I am accepting your challenge.]
De Guzman said he wants his campaign to focus on pursuing a "system change" in the country to set him apart from his competitors.
"Hindi lang palitan si (President Rodrigo) Duterte. Hindi lang para palitan 'yung mukha ng pangulo sa Malacañang kundi palitan ang buong sistema ng ating gobyerno," he said.
[Translation: Not just to replace (President Rodrigo) Duterte. Not just to replace the face of the president in Malacañang, but to replace the entire system of our government.]
De Guzman ran for senator in the 2019 midterm polls and placed 38th. His main advocacy was to pass the anti-contractualization law and become the "voice of the workers."
