Partido Lakas ng Masa fields 2 labor leaders for senatorial bid in 2025 polls

MANILA, Philippines — Labor leaders Luke Espiritu and Leody De Guzman are both seeking seats in the Senate, filing their certificates of candidacy together on Friday, October 4.

The two senatorial aspirants plan on campaigning as a duo under Partido Lakas ng Masa in the 2025 midterm elections. This will be Espiritu and De Guzman’s second attempt at securing their senatorial bid. 

Espiritu was a senatorial candidate in the 2022 national elections, while De Guzman ran for the same position in the 2019 midterm elections.

De Guzman previously sought the presidency in the 2022 national elections. 

“The Senate needs to be free from the control of dynasties and traditional politicians. It must become a Senate that stands for workers, the poor, and the environment,” Espiritu said in Filipino. 

Among their calls are to increase the daily minimum wage and abolish provincial rates, but their primary focus is the passage of an anti-dynasty law. 

Espiritu and De Guzman’s main campaign goal is to rid the Philippine Congress of political dynasties, which they claim are the root cause of the problems that keep Filipinos in poverty.

“The root cause of workers' problems, whether it's contractualization at the provincial rate, lack of jobs, or the demolition of informal settlers, lies in the laws created by political dynasties,” De Guzman said in Filipino.

De Guzman also explained that lawmakers are waiting for an “enabling law” that outlines the scope of a political dynasty, which is also the reason why an anti-dynasty bill has not been passed yet.

According to Article 2, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution, political dynasties should be prohibited. However, it also states that the political dynasties are to be defined by law. 

Section 26. The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.

Meanwhile, Espiritu mentioned the “absurdity” of having a whole family run for public office, saying that it is a form of “monopolizing” government positions. 

He mentioned the likes of veteran actress Vilma Santos, a former representative of Batangas 6th District, and her son Luis Manzano who are looking to run