UniTeam senatorial candidate Harry Roque would push for legislation that would continue the good programs of the current administration even as he thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for instituting changes that benefit most Filipinos.

“Nagpapasalamat po ako kay Presidente Rodrigo Roa Duterte dahil siya po ang nagsimula ng tunay na pagbabago na ipagpapatuloy ng UniTeam (I would like to thank President Rodrigo Roa Duterte because he started the real change that UniTeam will continue),” Roque, a former presidential spokesperson, said during the UniTeam’s proclamation rally at the Philippine Arena on Tuesday.

Roque is running under UniTeam’s standard-bearers, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte, in the May 2022 national elections.

“Ang pangako po namin ng inyong anak na si Inday Sara… pagpapatuloy po namin ang pagbabago sa Pilipinas. Hindi po namin kayo bibiguin (Your daughter Inday Sara and I promise that we will continue the real change in the Philippines. We will not disappoint you),” he said.

Roque said the Duterte administration started its Build, Build, Build (BBB) program, which intends to usher in the Philippines’ “Golden Age of Infrastructure.”

The BBB program accelerated public infrastructure expenditure from an average of 2.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) during the Aquino regime to about 7.3 percent at the end of the Duterte administration.

Meanwhile, Roque also thanked the 2nd Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for junking a petition to cancel Marcos’ Certificate of Candidacy (COC).

“Sa mga kalaban ng UniTeam, isa lang po ang aking pakiusap, sa isang demokrasya taongbayan ang maghuhusga kung sino ang magiging presidente, hindi Comelec,” Roque said.

“Hayaan po natin na magdesisyon ang taumbayan dahil ‘yan po ay karapatan at prebilehiyo ng bawat Pilipino,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Comelec said the last petition seeking to cancel Marcos’ COC has been junked.

The petition was filed by Tiburcio Marcos, who claims that Bongbong is an “impostor” because the real son of former President Ferdinand Marcos has been dead “since 1975.” (PR)