'Manggagawa naman': Labor leader Sonny Matula to run for Senate anew

Labor leader Sonny Matula formalized his senatorial bid as he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for Senator on Saturday, 5 October.

Matula, who currently sits as the Federation of Free Workers chief, previously ran for a Senate seat in 2019 and 2022 but lost both times.

"Panahon na na ang manggagawa ay may representante sa Senado. Marami na tayong artista, marami na tayong kasapi ng dinastiya. Manggagawa naman sa Senado (It's about time that the workers have a representative in the Senate/.We have many actors, we have many members of the political dynasty. It's about time we elect a worker in the Senate)," he said.

His platform includes a livable wage for all, security of tenure, and the recognition of the worker's right to organize.

"Dapat ang mga manggawa ay hindi kontraktwal (There should be no contractual worker)," he added.

Matula said he is confident that he has a better chance now.

"Tayo po ay dumaan na sa maraming kampanya at sa ngayon palagay ko naman ay may kapital na tayo, nakilala na tayo (We have gone through many campaigns and now I think we have the capital, I think many people know us now)," he said.

"Nung una tayong tumakbo, 42,000 ang ating boto, nung sumunod tayong tumakbo, mga tatlong milyon na. Tingin ko mataas na yan [sa susunod] (When I first ran, I only got 42,000 votes, the next time I ran, I got about three million. I think this time I will get more votes)," he added.

Matula is running under Workers' and Peasants' Party.

On Friday, labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Luke Espiritu also announced their bids for 2025 polls.