In Naga City, Robredo unites opponents for congressional seat
NAGA CITY, Philippines — In a display of unity, two opposing aspirants for a congressional seat shared the stage here in Naga City to endorse the same presidential bet, Vice President Leni Robredo.
Incumbent Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado and his challenger, Noel de Luna, both wore Robredo’s signature pink on Monday when the vice president was endorsed by De Luna’s local party for president.
Bordado is running under the Liberal Party, which Robredo chairs, while De Luna is running under the Pederalismo ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan, a fringe party allied with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan.
Bordado is part of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives and has opposed some key measures backed by President Rodrigo Duterte, including the much-feared anti-terrorism law, while De Luna is a known Duterte supporter.
But for a moment, the differences between the two did not matter as they flanked Robredo as she entered and exited the Isarog Grand Ballroom in Summit Hotel.
“We just showed that we are all united for our only one candidate, a Bicolano candidate, for president,” De Luna said partly in Filipino in a chance interview with Philstar.com. “This is our chance to have a Bicolano president come 2022 national elections.”
This is just a snapshot of the unity among local politicians and political parties in her bailiwick of Bicol region where some 3.9 million voters reside that Robredo said she is counting on to deliver for her in the May polls.
“Now, we are seeing candidates from many different parties all agreeing to set aside their affiliations and differences to help our candidacy,” Robredo told reporters in Filipino in a chance interview.
That unity behind Robredo in Bicol was easier to achieve this time is no surprise, considering she is the lone Bicolano in the presidential race, unlike in the 2016 vice presidential derby.
Robredo is also counting on this to get her to the highest public office in the country. She had won by landslide in the Bicol region in the 2016 vice presidential race despite other Bicolanos running against her, what more that she is now the lone Bicolano in the race?
“We’re expecting that we’ll get a better turnout this time around,” Robredo said.
But Robredo said she does not want to get elected on being a Bicolano alone.
“The votes we’re expecting are not just because I’m Bicolano, but because we’ve shown the people here the kind of politics needed to create progress not based on money or power, but a kind of governance and politics where power is distributed to ordinary people,” she said.
Robredo’s survey numbers have significantly improved, jumping from 8% to 20% in the latest Pulse Asia poll, but she still has to close a large gap between her and frontrunner former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos.
Robredo’s campaign will kickoff on Tuesday at Plaza Quezon in Naga City, together with eight of her 12 senatorial candidates.
Disclosure: This story was made possible through the support of Vice President Leni Robredo's campaign, which arranged transportation and accommodations for the Philstar.com reporting team. This article was produced following editorial guidelines and the Robredo campaign did not have input on how the story would be written.
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