"I WOULD NOT BE GOADED TO BE PART
OF MUDSLINGING" - BONGBONG MARCOS

Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. today said he would not be provoked to engage in mudslinging just stay ahead in the vice presidential race saying it will not help solve the country's problems.

In an interview over Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN) in Cebu City, Marcos said he will just continue to present his platform rather than destroy his political rivals.

"Will mud-slinging create one more job? Will insulting somebody else, trying to put them down help feed a child? None of these things are useful, none of these things achieve anything except more disunity, more polarization," he said.

He said he will not be provoked into engaging in the negative type of campaigning because it is not what the people needs. "I would not be goaded or somehow baited to be part of the mudslinging or part of the insults that are going back and forth. I just see that there is no place because when I talk to people, ordinary Filipino citizens, they don't ask me about what a bad person the other person is. What they ask me is what can you do to help me," he said.

While it is understandable for candidates to engage in character assassination during the campaign season, Marcos said he is hopeful that all attacks would stop after the elections so the elected leaders could begin fulfilling their duties to serve the people.

"Kasi naman pulitika ganyan talaga, merong mamimili so talagang nagpapa-pogi yung iba at sinisiraan naman yung iba. May element of that na hindi natin ma-avoid. Pero pagkatapos na ang halalan pagka-naproklama na yung mga winner e isantabi na muna natin 'yan," he said.

Marcos has been campaigning on a message of unity saying it is the essential first step for the country to move forward. He said unity should start with the elected leaders by setting aside their own interests and putting the interest of the people in the forefront of all their actions.

"Ipaalala natin sa ating mga leader that they must attend to the needs of the people who they have sworn to serve. Sumumpa kami to help people, to sacrifice our own personal interest for that of the country, for that of the citizenry. And we seem to have forgotten it. Puro pulitika na lang kayat puro away ng away kayat hiwa-hiwalay ngayon ang lipunan," he said.