The Case For Mr. Jopet Sison (According To Jopet Sison)
Written By Cathyrene Gimenez & Mikael Rizada-Borres
When you catch an episode of the television anthology show Ipaglaban Mo!, you’ll hear clichéd lines recited by actors who exaggerate the real-life crime stories the show’s trying to tell. The Filipino television tropes they harp on to lure the viewers are cheap; the stand-offs between the rich and the poor seem to be their trump card, while the preference to make the handsomely-paid, up-and-coming heartthrobs of ABS-CBN relatable by having them portray the everyday men is a ploy they make in every episode.
However, the gripping tales of deceit, misfortune, and sadness (from an episode about a drug-addicted man who sexually assaults her mother, to another one about a girl who gets pimped out by her uncle), keep you — the viewer — watching. Along with his father and co-host of Ipaglaban Mo!, Atty. Jose C. Sison, TV personality and former Quezon City councillor Joseph Peter “Jopet” Sison has been presenting these dramatized legal cases to the Filipino public for years to educate them “about their legal rights, legal options thus restoring the public trust that justice still prevails.”
Now, since Jopet Sison is running to become a Senator (replacing former Vice President Noli De Castro in Aksyon Demokratiko’s senatorial candidate line-up, who backed out due to a “change of heart” and “personal reasons”), the television host now has to present the political case on why he should be part of the “Magic Twelve” this coming May.
Why Is He Running?
In an interview with Fascinating Features, Jopet Sison shared the reason why he decided to run for senator instead of running for the position of Quezon City Vice Mayor again.
“I was eyeing a district seat. I was supposed to run for Congress, where — in my district — I always get the overwhelming vote of the constituents of the district. I was to run under the Aksyon Demokratiko Party when a seat became vacant in the [party’s] Senate [slate].
Sison at a Isko Moreno campaign event in the municiplality of Sison, Pangasinan.
“I was part of the candidates shortlisted for that position. So [when] I was given this opportunity to run for a higher position, I took that opportunity, believing that this position will give me more chances of serving a bigger constituency and give me more impact in my service,” he said.
Utilizing Personal Vaccine Experience
At the time of writing this article (February 11, 2021), The Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,788 new coronavirus cases in the Philippines, bringing the total case count to 3.6 million, with 91,147 active cases, 5,652 new recoveries, and 72 new deaths. Although most active cases at the time (94.8%) of reporting were considered to be “mild” or asymptomatic, 1,755 cases were labelled “severe” or “critical.”
Amidst COVID-19 rising cases, discrimination against the unvaccinated, getting inoculation is still a “no” for some people. According to the research conducted by the World Bank and the Australian Aid, the main reasons for individuals to refuse vaccination include insufficient information about vaccines and access to such information, lack of trust in available data about vaccines, and the overestimation of risks and underestimation of benefits in getting the vaccine.
Sison shared his stand on the subject and his personal experience with vaccines.
“Initially, I was against it because vaccines, in the beginning, were experimental […] Then I took the vaccines. I got my shots late, in fact. I got my second dose in October of this year [2021], so I think I will be a good advocate for promoting vaccinations,” he said
He said that the government needs to educate people more about vaccines.
“So what we can do is educate people that the vaccines have gone through several stages already. It has been proven to be effective, and it will help promote our country, citizenry, and our cities to its desired curb immunity rate so that finally we can eradicate this COVID-19,” he said.
On Isko Moreno
Sison at an Isko Moreno motorcade with Moreno, Aksyon Demokratiko Vice Presidential Doctor Willie Ong, and his fellow senatorial candidates Carl Balita and Samira Gutoc.
Sison shared his reasons why he joined the Aksyon Demokratiko Party.
“Joining this party has shown me that the vision and the goal of the party are ideal for the change that we need in our country by the very name of the party. Aksyon Demokratiko: it entails ‘bilis kilos’, [or] immediate response, immediate actions to the problems of our country,” he said.
He also stated that the word “Demokratiko” is essential to govern.
“We have to involve the people. It [governance] should be based on public consultation and people’s participation in governance, especially in terms of policymaking.
“So the party itself — its ideals, its principles, founded by [former senator] Raul Roco — is laudable, worth emulating. It is an honour for me to be part of this party.”
He furthered that if people used qualifications, accomplishments, character, compassion for the poor, and capacity as bases for who’s the best candidate to be the next President, there would categorically be no other candidate better than Manila mayor Isko Moreno.
“Now, the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko is Isko Moreno […] Panahon ng eleksyon, maraming salitaan, maraming salita, tingnan mo ‘yong ginawa [During the election season, you will notice a lot of talk and a lot of words].“
“If you look at what [Moreno] has accomplished in [such a] short time […it] is unprecedented. And if you want significant change in our country in the fastest possible time — which we need badly — [it] is Isko Moreno who can deliver that,” he stated.
Unchanging Nature
In late October 2021, Senators Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri filed Senate Bill No. 2439, which sought to ban the option to substitute an electoral aspirant who voluntarily withdraws candidacy. The bill aims to amend the Omnibus Election Code by removing “withdrawal” — when a candidate withdraws voluntarily — as one of the allowable reasons for a candidate’s substitution. A similar measure has already been filed by one of the Philippine House of Representatives Deputy Speakers, Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro, in October 2021.
As someone who had used the provision to replace Noli de Castro, Sison seems to agree with the principle of substitution, but it has to have some caveats.
“It is a provision available to a party so that they can provide and fill in slots based on their party-mates or tapping their party-mates to be able to continue the service they intend to give a particular district or in a particular position. It is available […] so the position can be filled up.”
“But of course, like all other laws, this is subject to abuse, [and can be] used to manipulate [and] deceive people, [and] used as a political strategy,” he commented.
He also stated that it's a good provision of the law if the candidacy seat was vacated for valid reasons such as if the candidate dies, or if the candidate is disqualified by the COMELEC due to any relevant violations.
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Images from Jopet Sison’s Facebook Page
