Gordon goes around for voter education

Sen. Richard Gordon said on Tuesday he has been going around provinces not only to campaign for his presidential bid but also to help educate voters. Several times he turned down requests for money.

Gordon said: "I don't indulge them (people) in their childishness."

He and his running mate Bayani Fernando went around six cities and towns in Pangasinan on Sunday and Monday where Gordon came across a few people who asked for money or who asked him to buy their products.

He replied to them: "If I give you money, I will steal from you. Do you want that?"

Instead, he gave P1,000 loans to at least two old women who lamented they had no capital to start even just a small business. Gordon had them sign a promissory note, saying they would have to pay P10 monthly for the loan.

Gordon said instead of giving dole-outs, he wanted to give people their dignity.

But Gordon said he was also pleased to learn that most voters have become discerning.

Speaking with Urdaneta City Mayor Amado Perez Jr. on Monday afternoon, Gordon said he noticed that "voters are now intelligent."

He told Perez: "They watched television debates and told me that I did well in answering questions."

Gordon and Fernando were in Bataan on Tuesday where they spoke at the Balanga and Dinalupihan campuses of the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU).

Gordon said that in his brief conversations with residents, he felt that many of them were already angry.

He said: "The people are angry. They are tired of what is happening."

Gordon said the national campaign should be a venue for political leaders to consult with their people and learn about their concerns.

Gordon said: "The Presidency is something that is earned. The more you campaign nationally, the better President you will become."

He surprised students at the BPSU Banzon Tuesday morning when he asked one student who was reading a question from a sheet of paper to try to ask her question without reading her notes.

The student did and the crowd cheered her.

Gordon said he wanted to teach the students not to be afraid.

He also did not hide his disappointment when a few students asked questions whose answers, he said, were already in his opening speech.