Otso Diretso

Otso Diretso (transl. Straight Eight IPA: [ɔtʃɔ dɪrɛtʃɔ]), initially called the Oposisyon Koalisyon[1] (transl. Opposition Coalition) was an electoral alliance formed to field candidates for the 2019 Philippine general election, in opposition to President Rodrigo Duterte.[2][3] Otso Diretso fielded eight candidates (otso is the Filipino language literal translation of the Spanish word for "eight" or ocho) for the Senate election from the Liberal, Akbayan, Magdalo Party-List, and Aksyon Demokratiko parties. Senator Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, served as the campaign manager.[4]

Otso Diretso
LeaderLeni Robredo
Founded2018 (2018)
Dissolved2019
Preceded byKoalisyon ng Daang Matuwid
Succeeded byTeam Robredo–Pangilinan
IdeologyLiberalism
Political positionCentre to centre-left
Coalition membersLiberal
Akbayan
Magdalo
Aksyon Demokratiko
SloganMakinig. Matuto. Kumilos.
(English: Listen. Learn. Act.)
Website
http://otsodiretso.ph

None of the eight senatorial candidates under Otso Diretso won a seat.[5] It was the first time in the history of the current bicameral composition of the Philippine Congress under the 1987 Constitution 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.[6][7] 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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10]

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."[11]

Robredo 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 [of choosing candidates]."[12]

Senatorial slate
Candidate name and party Position Elected
Gary Alejano
Magdalo		 House representative of Magdalo No
Bam Aquino
Liberal		 Senator of the Philippines No
Chel Diokno
Liberal		 none (founding Dean De La Salle University College of Law, chairman Free Legal Assistance Group) No
Samira Gutoc
Independent		 Member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission No
Florin Hilbay
Aksyon		 Solicitor General No
Romulo Macalintal
Independent		 none (lawyer) No
Mar Roxas
Liberal		 Secretary of the Interior and Local Government No
Erin Tañada
Liberal		 Deputy Speaker and House representative of Quezon's 4th district No

Results

All Otso Diretso candidates lost the election, the second time that a Liberal Party-led coalition suffered a great loss since 1955.[13][14]

Rank Candidate Votes  %
14 Bam Aquino 14,144,923 29.91%
16 Mar Roxas 9,843,288 20.81%
21 Chel Diokno 6,342,939 13.41%
23 Gary Alejano 4,726,652 9.99%
25 Samira Gutoc 4,345,252 9.19%
26 Romulo Macalintal 4,007,339 8.47%
27 Erin Tañada 3,870,529 8.18%
29 Florin Hilbay 2,757,879 5.83%

See also

References
  1. "Robredo leads intro of 'Oposisyon Koalisyon' Senate bets". philstar.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  2. "Robredo leads intro of 'Oposisyon Koalisyon' Senate bets". philstar.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  3. "Opposition completes 8-member senatorial slate for 2019 polls | Inquirer News". newsinfo.inquirer.net. October 16, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  4. Roxas, Pathricia Ann (February 11, 2019). "Pangilinan: Otso Diretso to focus on easing Filipino lives". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  5. Cabico, Gaea Katreena (May 22, 2019). "Opposition slate Otso Diretso suffers a resounding loss". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  6. Yap, DJ Jr.; Burgos, Nestor P. (February 13, 2019). "Opposition: May elections a referendum on Duterte". newsinfo.inquirer.net. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  7. "A verdict on Duterte: looming midterms are a referendum on president". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  8. "Opposition is 'alive': VP Robredo launches Senate ticket". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  9. "Otso Diretso". volunteer.otsodiretso.ph. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  10. "FILIPINOS CROSS DIFFERENCES IN GENUINE SHARING OF STORIES THROUGH PROJECT MAKINIG". Liberal Party of the Philippines. November 26, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  11. "Otso Diretso! Sa Senado! | Ipaglaban ang Ating Bukas, Boto mo ang Lunas". www.otsodiretso.ph. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  12. Flores, Helen (April 13, 2019). "Leni working harder for Otso Diretso bets". The Philippine Star. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  13. Cabato, Regine (May 14, 2019). "Philippine midterm elections deliver a resounding vote of confidence for Duterte". Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  14. Cabico, Gaea Katreena (May 22, 2019). "Opposition slate Otso Diretso suffers a resounding loss". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2021.


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