Could singer Freddie Aguilar become a Philippine senator? President Rodrigo Duterte thinks he’ll do a good job.
Duterte yesterday endorsed Aguilar who’s running for senator in the 2019 midterm elections. The president called the singer a “nationalist” deserving of a senate seat during the inauguration of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
Comically, he also assured people that Aguilar can speak in English and not just in Filipino.
Er, because that’s the only requirement needed to be a public servant?
Aguilar’s candidacy for senator is somewhat complicated. While he’s running under the president’s party, PDP-Laban, the party publicly disowned him as a candidate, reported Rappler.
According to PDP-Laban’s public information officer Ron Munsayac, they did not issue a certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) to the singer, which means that he is not an official party candidate.
According to CNN Philippines, Aguilar’s certification of nomination was signed by a certain Wilfredo M. Talag, who called himself PDP-Laban’s secretary general. He, along with a lawyer by the name of Rogelio Garcia, are leaders of a faction within the party which PDP-Laban’s president Senator Koko Pimental has declared illegitimate.
All of these internal conflicts, of course, were ignored by Duterte when he endorsed Aguilar yesterday. His endorsement of Aguilar, however, is far from surprising.
The singer was one of Duterte’s most ardent supporters during his 2016 presidential campaign. Rappler reported that Aguilar even composed a campaign song for him that’s played to this day during events Duterte attends.
Yesterday, the president asked the crowd in attendance to consider voting for Aguilar.
ABS-CBN quoted him saying in a mix of Filipino and English: “Freddie is running for senator. There’s nothing else that I’d like to ask from you to just consider. He is a brilliant man.”
Duterte said that since there are 12 senators to be elected in 2019, they might as well include Aguilar.
“That’s why I’m asking you. Anyway, that’s 12 [slots to fill up]. Give it to a nationalist, someone who loves the country. And the protest of his songs are there,” he added.
Duterte also addressed what some people believe is Aguilar’s Achilles heel — his perceived inability to speak fluent English. Some Filipinos believe that elected officials should be fluent in English for them to be effective public servants.
“Let’s help Freddie because he is one exemplary nationalist guy. And do not ever think that he can only speak in Tagalog. He is my friend. He is a brilliant guy. He can talk [in English] and he can help the country,” he said.
Aguilar became famous in the 1970s when his song Anak (“Child”) won the first Metropop Song Festival. The song was translated into 26 languages and became a hit in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
However, Aguilar’s reputation dimmed when he was charged with child abuse in 2013 after he married his then 16-year-old girlfriend.
