Poe gets mixed reception in Bicol

LEGAZPI CITY — Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. got a mixed reception on the second day of his sortie in the Bicol Region.

Poe arrived here on Saturday afternoon without much fanfare and went straight to Alicia Hotel to rest after an arduous two-day campaign sortie in Quezon province, where he got a much warmer welcome.

With about 2.2 million voters, the Bicol Region has always been wooed by national candidates. It is considered the bailiwick of former education secretary Raul Roco, standard-bearer of the Alyansa ng Pag-asa who hails from Naga City.

After attending a 5 a.m. Mass at the Albay Cathedral, Poe began his motorcade around the city but only a few people came out to greet them. Poe’s group went around the area surrounding Mt. Mayon, including Sto. Domingo, Tabaco City, Ligao City, Daraga, Guinobatan and Camalig.

However, as they entered Tabaco, people lined the streets to meet Poe’s party despite the mild drizzle.

The KNP motorcade also drew crowds in other towns but they were not as huge as the crowd in the other regions the actor has visited so far since the start of the electoral campaign last Feb. 10.

Apparently expecting a lukewarm reception, the group even skipped Naga City.

Four of the KNP’s senatorial candidates, however, trace their roots to Bicol, namely, former senator Francisco Tatad, who is from Catanduanes; former agriculture secretary Salvador Escudero III, who is from Sorsogon; actress Boots Anson-Roa, who is from Camalig, Albay; and Ma. Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal who is from Ligao City.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who is with the administration Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, said the mixed reception is not surprising because the region is "Roco country," aside from a confluence of factors.

"We gave him the courtesy due a movie king, neither hot nor cold treatment," Salceda said. "It is due to a bad combination of bad weather, poor local organization (of the KNP) and the Roco factor," Salceda said.

He also noted that 16 out of the 18 mayors in Albay have expressed support to President Arroyo and that the KNP has no congressional bet in the province.

KNP’s campaign manager Sen. Vicente Sotto III, however, disputed this observation saying that the reception was "much better than expected."

"We expected that the reception would not be that warm but we were really surprised by the turnout," Sotto said. "They were also warm."

Aside from Dolphy, Poe also brought with him Bicolano actor Eddie Garcia and Eddie Gutierrez.

In an interview before the motorcade, Dolphy, who is doing a campaign commercial for Poe, said that as long as he has the time, he will campaign for Poe.

"I have volunteered my help so I’ll do my very best," he said in Filipino.

He said he had strongly advised Poe against entering politics, which he likened to hitting one’s head with a rock. But since the clamor of the people was strong, he decided to go all out to help Poe win.

Dolphy said Poe is sincere and capable of running the country and criticisms hurled against him were unfounded.