Escudero shares stage with Robredo in Sorsogon, but silent on endorsement
SORSOGON, Philippines — Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero shared the stage Wednesday with Vice President Leni Robredo in his home turf but remained silent on whether he is endorsing her for president.
Escudero, who is running for senator under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, wore white as he sat next to Robredo at a campaign stop in Sorsogon and briefly introduced her to the pink-clad crowd.
It is no surprise that Escudero is not publicly backing Robredo’s presidential bid. While he is part of the Robredo ticket as a guest candidate, he is also included in the Senate slates of Sens. Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, who are both also running for president.
Escudero has also received the backing of vice-presidential candidate and Davao City Vice Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
He is not alone in this strategy in a country where politics is often said to be addition.
Re-electionist Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon shared the stage with Robredo’s main seven senatorial candidates during the vice president’s campaign kickoff in Naga City on Tuesday, but did not expressly endorse her.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was instrumental in forming Robredo’s senatorial lineup, said in November 2020 that, at the very least, guest candidates should commit not to support any other presidential bet. This gives guest candidates space to avoid the awkwardness of having to endorse opposing presidential candidates.
Aside from Escudero and Gordon, Robredo also shares former Vice President Jejomar Binay, and Sens. Joel Villanueva and Migz Zubiri with other tickets.
Backing from Sara Duterte ally
While Escudero was mum on his support for Robredo, the vice president did end up getting the backing of an unlikely ally — Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay).
Salceda, wearing Robredo’s signature pink, told local reporters that he is supporting her presidential bid as she is "good for the economy."
This was a sudden shift for Salceda, who had feverishly supported Duterte-Carpio for president prior to the filing of candidacies.
But it seems that political winds have shifted since the Davao City mayor, whom Salceda claimed was sure to run for president, is actually running for vice president.
It is unclear whether Salceda also backs Duterte-Carpio’s vice-presidential bid as he refused to answer who his vice president is.
--
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.
- Latest
- Trending
