Mga Pamatay na Pangako Ever Made

August 8, 2022

These are the top most grandiose, if not most irritating, promises made by Filipino politicians I have heard.

1. President Joseph Estrada – “Ngayon pa lamang, ang mga kamag anak ko ay nilalapitan na ng kung sinu-sino. Kung anu-anong deal at kickback ang pinapangako. Binabalaan ko sila. Walang kaibigan, walang kumpare, walang kamag-anak o anak na maaring mag samantala sa ngayon. At ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko sa inyo, nag aaksaya lamang kayo ng panahon. Huwag ninyo akong subukan.” Unfortunately, Erap was kicked out of the presidency because of corruption and on allegations of favoring his friends and families.
2. President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino – “At pag hindi ho nangyari ito, nandyan ho si Secretary Abaya na nangangasiwa ng proyektong ito, dalawa na kaming magpapasagasa siguro sa train.” In this instance Pres. Aquino declared that if the LRT project missed the 2015 deadline, he was ready to be run over by a train. The train project did not happen but Aquino died of illness and not because he was run over by a train.
3. President Rodrigo R. Duterte – “If elected president, give me about three to six months, I will get rid of corruption, drugs and criminality.” Pres. Duterte’s term ended on 30 June 2022 but the drug problem and criminality are still rampant.
4. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano – This is the “Sampung Libong Pag Asa” program promise of Cayetano which was designed to give 10 thousand pesos to select beneficiary to alleviate the effects of COVID pandemic. As a congressman of the 18th Congress (2019-2022), he actually filed a bill for this but it never ripened into law. Still this is such an ostentatious promise which should have not been vocalized to citizens who are still waiting for such promise until now. Sen. Cayetano promised to file a similar bill in the 19th Congress (2022-2025) of which he is a member as a senator who had just received a 6-year fresh electoral mandate in the just concluded elections (2022 National Elections).
5. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. – One of the promises of Pres. Marcos, Jr. in election campaign speeches was to lower the price of rice (Philippines’ primary staple food) to as low as Php20.00 per kilo. He formally assumed presidency on 30th of June 2022, and many Filipinos, including myself, are waiting for this to happen. Many doubts the realization of this promise. We will see.