Otso Diretso ( ), initially called the Oposisyon Koalisyon () was an
electoral alliance
An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections.
E ...
formed to field candidates for the
2019 Philippine general election
The 2019 Philippine general election was conducted on May 13, 2019. A midterm election, those elected therein will take office on June 30, 2019, midway through the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The following positions were contested:
*12 ...
, in opposition to President
Rodrigo Duterte. Otso Diretso fielded eight candidates (''otso'' is the
Filipino language
Filipino (; , ) is an Austronesian language. It is the national language ( / ) of the Philippines, and one of the two official languages of the country, with English. It is a standardized variety of Tagalog based on the native dialect, sp ...
literal translation of the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
word for "eight" or ''ocho'') for the
Senate election from the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
,
Akbayan
The Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, better known as Akbayan (), is a democratic socialist and progressive political party in the Philippines. Akbayan is noted as a leading member of the progressive movement in the Philippines, having been forme ...
,
Magdalo Party-List, and
Aksyon Demokratiko
Aksyon Demokratiko ( ) or simply Aksyon is a political party in the Philippines founded by Raul Roco. It was recognized as a national political party in 1998 by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and is considered to be one of the major partie ...
parties. Senator
Francis Pangilinan
Francis Pancratius "Kiko" Nepomuceno Pangilinan (; born August 24, 1963) is a Filipino lawyer, politician, and farm owner who served as a Senator from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2004 to 2008.
A ...
, president of the Liberal Party, served as the campaign manager.
None of the eight senatorial candidates under Otso Diretso won a seat. It was the first time in the history of the current
bicameral composition of the
Philippine Congress
The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the te ...
under the
1987 Constitution
The Constitution of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'', Spanish: ''Constitución de la República de Filipinas'') is the constitution or the supreme law of the Republic of the Philippin ...
that the opposition failed to win a seat in one of the chambers, and the first time since the
1938 election that the opposition failed to win a single seat in a legislative election.
Background and platform
The alliance believed that the 2019 midterm elections was a "referendum" on Duterte's government. The coalition aimed to build a new political culture based on political leaders practicing "''makinig, matuto, kumilos''" (Tagalog for "listen, learn, take action"), with each candidate emphasizing the need for government to listen to its citizens.
The coalition's platforms and policies were based on Project Makinig, a nationwide listening campaign conducted by 9,800 volunteers that generated 118,000 conversations. Project Makinig aimed to find out the issues most relevant to Filipino voters, to form the basis for the messaging, strategy, and platform of the coalition.
Otso Diretso's eight-point
political platform included "poverty alleviation, a more robust economy with more jobs and lower prices of goods, a peaceful home and nation for the benefit of Filipino children, improved education and free college tuition that will lead to jobs, fair wages and profit for laborers, farmers, and fishermen, expanded rights for senior citizens and PWDs, national and judicial reform."
Robredo Robredo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Álvaro Robredo (born 1993), Spanish cyclist
*Jesse Robredo (1958–2012), Filipino politician
*Leni Robredo (born 1965), Filipina lawyer and social activist
*Tommy Robredo
Tomá ...
denounced the fielding of "popular" candidates into the senatorial slate for the purpose of ensuring victory and emphasized the inclusion of "relatively unknown" candidates, saying that "popularity should be at the lower end of the spectrum
f choosing candidates"
Senatorial slate
Results
All Otso Diretso candidates lost the election, the second time that a Liberal Party-led coalition suffered a great loss since
1955.
See also
*
Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid
The Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid ( Lit.: Coalition of the Right Path) was the umbrella of the administration-backed presidential and senatorial line-up for the 2016 Philippine Senate election. It is composed mostly of supporters of Mar Roxas, who ...
*
Team Robredo–Pangilinan
References
External links
*
Project Makinig Official Website
2019 Philippine general election
Defunct political party alliances in the Philippines
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