Mar, Leni visit vote-rich Pangasinan to distribute relief goods

MANILA, Philippines - Liberal Party (LP) presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and vice presidential bet Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Wednesday visited vote-rich Pangasinan to distribute relief goods to victims of Typhoon Lando.

While Roxas and Robredo have repeatedly claimed that the relief effort was not related to the election, they were peppered with questions about politics, particularly the alleged use of government resources to promote administration candidates.

The tandem visited the typhoon-hit towns of Infanta and Mangatarem after local officials requested for assistance in behalf of their constituents.

Pangasinan is the third most vote-rich province in the country after Cebu and Cavite. There are about 1.6 million registered voters in the province, which is located in the Ilocos region.

When asked by the media if the relief operation is part of the campaign, Roxas said: “You can attest that there were no speeches and we went directly the distribution (of goods). There was no yellow (object), no campaigns, no votes, no pictures. We really came here for the giving of relief goods.”

Candidates for national posts may only conduct campaigns when the campaign period starts on February 9.

Article 10, Section 80 of the Omnibus Election Code states that it shall be unlawful for any person, party, or association “to engage in an election campaign or partisan political activity except during the campaign period."

Roxas said he is not worried about what his rivals will say about the relief effort.

“The other side is always going to say whatever it is they are going to say, none of which will be complimentary. So why would I think about what they will say? It is clear to me that we are providing help,” the presidential candidate said.

Roxas also denied the allegation of his political rival Vice President Jejomar Binay that government funds are bankrolling his sorties in typhoon-hit areas.

“I don't know where it (allegation) came from. Maybe he (Binay) does that. All these relief goods came from us. These came from donations of volunteers,” Roxas said.

“We did not use government vehicles when we went to Aurora (province). We delivered relief goods from private donors,” he added.

The administration coalition's standard bearer also defended Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman from accusations that she was campaigning for LP candidates.

The Binay camp previously claimed that Soliman was in Koronadal, South Cotabato to attend a gathering of beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer program while “Lando” is battering northern Luzon. Soliman was reportedly with Roxas and Robredo during the event.

“Maybe we should just ignore such nonsense statements. It is clear that the whole government is doing everything to perform its duty. All departments are focused on providing care to the needy especially those affected by Lando,” Roxas said.

Roxas and Robredo visited the typhoon-hit areas of Aurora and Nueva Ecija last Tuesday. - with Levi Mora