Former Presidential Communication Undersecretary Manolo Quezon is betting on human rights lawyer Chel Diokno to be the flag bearer of the opposition in the 2022 elections.
That is if the yellow group’s heavyweights – Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Mar Roxas – decide to make a pass on a presidential run.
“If Mar Roxas will bow out, and considering Leni Robredo will be embattled and might decide not to compete in 2022, then Middle will be leaderless. Means Chel Diokno will be a man to watch because only he bridges seemingly insurmountable EDSA-Left divide of past 3 decades,” said Quezon in a tweet.
If .@MARoxas
will bow out, and considering .@lenirobredo
will be embattled and might decide not to compete in 2022, then Middle
will be leaderless. Means .@ChelDiokno
will be a man to watch because only he bridges seemingly
insurmountable EDSA-Left divide of past 3 decades.— Manuel
L. Quezon III (@mlq3) May
14, 2019
Diokno placed No. 21 in the recent senatorial elections based on partial and unofficial results tallied by the Commission on Elections with 6.301 million votes as of May 20.
In his baptism of fire, he captured the imagination of the youth who called him a “woke lolo” for his cool brand but sharp edged politics.
“So ang silbi ng (pagtakbo) niya ngayon naipakilala ang pangalan at kuwento ng mga Diokno sa bagong henerasyon at ang kabataan mismo na nakarinig, sila ang excited mangampanya para kay Chel,” said Quezon.
Yup so ang silbi ng pagtagpo niya ngayon naipakilala ang
pangalan at kuwento ng mga Diokno sa bagong henerasyon at ang kabataan mismo na nakarinig, sila ang excited mangampanya para kay Chel.— Manuel L. Quezon III (@mlq3) May
14, 2019
Diokno himself was amazed by the outcome of his first run in politics with all the odds stacked against him. A day after the polls, he thanked his supporters and left the door open for a probable run in the 2022 polls.
So, really this is the time for us to celebrate.
MagCHEL-ebrate tayo ngayon. Break tayo ngayon. Wala ng iyak-iyakan,
tama na yan. Dahil bukas na bukas, magsisimula tayo ulit.—
Chel Diokno (@ChelDiokno) May
14, 2019
Kailangan meron pa tayong ibang ma-woke. Isipin natin kung
everyday, may ma-woke tayong isa, at the end of one year, ilan na yung
mawwoke natin; at the end of 2 years, doble pa.— Chel Diokno
(@ChelDiokno) May
14, 2019
And at the end of three years, wala nang makakapigil sa
ating ginagawa. I will promise you that I will never give up. This
fight will not end until we win. Maraming salamat!— Chel
Diokno (@ChelDiokno) May
14, 2019
Diokno is the chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group and as founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law. He is the son of national Jose “Pepe” Wright Diokno, a fiery anti-Marco senator and founding chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).