Roy Señeres presidential campaign, 2016

Background

At the time of the filing of his certificate of candidacy, Señeres was a Philippine congressman for the OFW Family Club Party List. He mostly involved in labor issues having been an Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates overseeing the plight of Overseas Filipino Workers in the gulf state including the case of Sarah Balabagan. He was also the chairman of National Labor Relations Commission.

Campaign

Señeres first bared his plan to run for the Presidency on October 20, 2014, during the launch of his Respect our Security of Employment (ROSE) movement in Butuan. He reiterated his plan to run for President in the 2016 presidential election a year later during a briefing at the House of Representatives. He will run under the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka and will field a vice-presidential candidate and a 12-man senatorial slate. He formally launched his presidential bid on October 11, 2015 at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.

On November 22, 2015, he launched the National Headquarters of the Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka for his presidential campaign in Las Piñas.

Señeres said that he was neither expecting or soliciting campaign funds from big business firms. He noted that the other candidates are using private jets and helicopters of mall owners and said that these candidates are beholden to those who provided them transport.

For his campaign method which he dubbed as a Kalyeserye style of approach, Señeres organized small meetings on streets and other places such a parking lots of big malls. He said that the primary audience for his campaign are contractual employees of big shopping malls.

Citing his health conditions due to his long-standing diabetes, Señeres officially decided to withdraw in the presidential race on February 5, 2016.

Shortly after withdrawing his bid for presidency due to health reasons, Señeres suffered a cardiac arrest and was admitted to the intensive care unit of the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig, which according to his sister-in-law was triggered by his diabetes. On February 8, 2016, in an interview with DZMM, his eldest son RJ said that Señeres died from his cardiac arrest that morning while at the intensive care unit. Señeres was 68 years old and was survived by his wife and their six children.

Labor

Señeres advocated against contractualization which he said is illegal under the Labor Code saying that major shopping mall are the biggest implementers of the employment practice. He said that contractuals doesn't receive benefits or is ensured of job security. In the context of contractual workers employed in shopping malls, he argued that billions of pesos that would have been given to them as benefits such as the 13th month pay, are used by their employers to build more malls in the country and abroad.

Alleging that the government is avoiding the issue, he said that he decided to run for president because he can't make executive orders if he stays in Congress, adding that he would direct the Department of Labor and Employment to implement the law against contractualization if he is elected.

He promised permanent employment to both workers in the private and government sectors.

Capital punishment

Señeres describe himself as a "prolife" candidate disagreeing with Rodrigo Duterte declaration that criminals and drug pushers deserves death whom Señeres branded as "prodeath".

Rodrigo Duterte

Señeres was critical of Duterte, saying that he has "irreconcilable differences" with him. He said that he is "pro-life" and called Duterte as being "pro-death", that he is prayerful while Duterte curses at the pope, and that he has only a single wife while Duterte said that he has two wives and a mistress.

Since Rodrigo Duterte of PDP-Laban who declared he will run faced legal problems for his bid, Señeres opened the possibility he will allow Rodrigo Duterte as his substitute candidate in November 2015 if he will abide in three conditions, particularly being a "pro-life" advocate. However, Duterte later refused to substitute for him and slammed Duterte's decision to pursue the presidency and remarked Duterte should support and endorse him instead.

It was reported by Philippine Daily Inquirer that two Supreme Court justices, Jose Catral Mendoza and Bienvenido Reyes, pressured Señeres to withdraw from the presidential elections in favor of Duterte in a meeting of fraternity brothers in Pasig in December 4, 2015. The four are part of the Lex Talionis fraternity which was founded in San Beda College. Seneres denied the report a week later saying that he talked about other matters with the justices and it was two other lawyers in attendance who mentioned of the possibility of Duterte substituting him.

Others

In October 2015, Señeres revealed that he would be voting for Grace Poe or Miriam Defensor-Santiago, instead of himself to bring back the "old custom" of chivalry.

Aftermath

Señeres withdrew from the presidential race. However his certificate of withdrawal was not accepted since the law mandates that the candidate must file the document personally. Señeres died shortly after he backed out from the elections. In case of death, substitution is allowed provided that a member of the same party of and has the same surname of the candidate concerned.

In February 9, 2016, Señeres daughter, Hannah filed a motion to the Commission on Elections stating that he would not be substituted saying that it was among of his last wishes. Señeres was also said to refuse to endorse any of the five remaining presidential candidates. On the same day, an earlier motion was filed by Partido ng Manggagawa at Magsasaka to declare Señeres' presidential candidate slot vacant. Apolonia Comia-Soguilon, a lawyer and member of the party since 1995 was touted by Señeres' party to be Señeres' substitute candidate.

Senatorial slate