BM Teddy Casiño is the real alternative

I FIND it right and honorable for Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño to pursue his senatorial bid by standing on a platform and organization of Makabayan Coalition.

He may be the only senatorial bet that is not part of the big time Trapo politics of President PNoy ruling Liberal Party Coalition and the United Nationalist Alliance of Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.'s Nationalist People's Coalition, Villar's Nacionalista Party, and VP Jejomar Binay's PDP-Laban, but Casiño is genuinely wholesale national democrat activist.

Unlike the members of LP Coalition and the UNA who constantly shift party affiliations and change their political images for expediency, Casiño has been a consistent street parliamentarian, a militant mass leader, a progressive legislator, uncompromising people's negotiator, and a champion of people's aspirations, interests and demands.

I know Casiño quite well; we've been together in some political activities and projects. He was molded by, in and through the militant mass movement since the '80s. He is deeply, firmly and consistently a national democratic leader.

Casiño is also the epitome of the lighter and friendly side of the national democratic movement. Contrary to the usual stereotyping of the left movement as brutal, scheming, dogmatic, unyielding, unfriendly, and what-have-they, Casiño has consistently demonstrated the opposite character, not as a facade for united front politics, but simply as the baby-faced guy who has all the passion for left activism and lives every second of his life in the service of the poor, deprived, oppressed, the least and the lost.

As an activist congressman, Casiño has filed dozens of bills and resolutions touching on the basic interest and demands of the workers, farmers, urban poor, fisherfolks, small and micro entrepreneurs, consumers, among others.

There are those who say Casiño will not win because of his left image. But there are also those who predict he will win because he represents not only the young and more friendly left movement but also a generation of young public servants whose devotion to people's interest has gone beyond reforms or perpetuation of the old political system.

Casiño is not just another senator; he is an alternative to a generation of senators whose loyalty and dedication is to their political dynasty and the perpetuation of their politico-economic-geographic interests.

Casiño will be fighting the huge war chest of the Trapo politicians with their well oiled conventional machiners. But Casiño will defeat them with both conventional and non conventional machineries.

Casiño will be fighting them not alone because he has the broad masses behind him, and genuine alternative Makabayan being a coalition of nationalist and democratic organizations, progressive partylists, forces and anti-imperialist and anti-fascist political luminaries.

In Bacolod and Negros, where people are clearly mad at the way electoral politics is being played, controlled and bastardized by the ruling elites, I am certain Casiño will get higher rating as the electoral campaign escalates, and such will be converted into winnable votes for him.

Early this time, Teddy Casiño has become a name that people from all walks of life can trust.