FORMER Third District Representative and City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez is aiming to hit two birds with one stone in his campaign to reclaim the City of San Fernando’s top seat, a post he held for nine years since 2004 to 2013.
As early as joining the supposed four-cornered mayoral race by way of substitution, Rodriguez has been vocal of his primary reason to enter politics anew, which is to boost the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.
“Hindi naman sana ako papagitna ulit sa pulitika if not for Leni primarily. Iyong nag-commit sa akin na aalalay sana kay Leni dito sa San Fernando ay bigla hindi na fulfill sa promise kaya last minute nagfile ako ng substitution para matulungan siya primarily,” said Rodriguez, who has been in political hiatus for six years prior to the May 9, 2022 elections.
Aside from his commitment to fellow Liberal Party’s partymate, the 75-year-old lawyer said he was also answering the calls of his friends and supporters asking him to take the lead again.
“Malakas pa naman ako, gusto kong maging meaningful pa rin ang buhay ko. Ayaw kong maging irrelevant sa nangyayaring serious transformation sa ating bansa ngayon at gusto kong maging instrumento ng pag-alis ng kasalukuyang kultura ng halalan lalo na dito sa San Fernando kung saan umiiral ang pera at pagbili ng dangal,” Rodriguez said.
He said he wants to instill to Fernandinos, especially the youth, the sanctity of their votes and its power to choose the country’s next leaders.
“Gusto kong mag-iwan ng pamana sa mga bata iyong kaisipan na kahit pala walang pera ang gustong pumagitna ay pepwede basta may pangarap siyang magsilbi sa bayan. I will consider it one of my legacies before I finally leave politics,” Rodriguez said.