Puwersa bets begin drive to increase edge in Mindanao

The opposition Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Puwersa ng Masa started yesterday their last ditch effort to increase their edge in Mindanao over the People Power Coalition (PPC) with a campaign sortie in General Santos City.

The candidates led by former Senate President Edgardo Angara will remain in Mindanao for the next four days with rallies in Davao City, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. earlier confirmed that Mindanao would vote for the opposition. Angara said that by campaigning more intensively in the island, they hope to win big and neutralize the votes for administration candidates in other areas.

Former Sen. Ernesto Maceda, meanwhile, said he was heartened by the admission of PPC spokesman Dodie Limcauco that a 13-0 sweep by the administration candidates is no longer possible.

Maceda said at a press conference at Club Filipino that Limcauco could not even say if the result would be 8-5 or 7-6 for the administration candidates.

He said that there is a big reservoir of votes that could go for the opposition and upset all prediction made by surveys.

Maceda identified the religious votes as among the factors that could not be quantified in the surveys by either the Social Weather Stations or Pulse Asia. He said that the El Shaddai and the Iglesia ni Cristo are expected to vote as a bloc and they could provide the swing vote.

"Take it for what it’s worth but Nanay Viring said she had already received word from God to support Puwersa ng Masa," Maceda said of the leader of a cult based in Hermosa, Bataan, and who was believed by members to be a reincarnation of Virgin Mary.

He said that the biggest surprise of the campaign is that the opposition might even win 7-6 in Pangasinan, "based on the strong showing of Rep. Teddy Cruz against re-electionist Governor Agbayani."

"Congressman Ayong Malicsi is making a surprising showing against Gov. Bong Revilla in Cavite. We will win in Laguna, but we concede Quezon and Batangas to PPC," Maceda added.

He said that if the opposition wins six of eight congressional seats in Cebu as predicted by Sen. John Osmeña, then Laban-PnM would also score big in that vote-rich province.