QUEZON, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday courted voters of Quezon province, where he lost to Vice President Leni Robredo by more than 171,000 votes in 2016.
Like in the last national elections, Marcos is mounting a campaign—this time to the Palace — with the backing of the Suarez clan of the province that has more than one million voters.
Related Stories
In the morning, Marcos, his running-mate Sara Duterte and UniTeam senators held a supposed mini rally at the Tiaong Convention Center early morning, but as the presidential aspirant remarked, it did not look like a “mini” rally at all.
The convention center was packed, and some supporters had to stay outside the venue because all seats were already taken.
Later Wednesday, the UniTeam again packed another indoor venue: the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Aside from his staple unity campaign speech, Marcos pitched platforms for the citizens of Quezon: Help Micro Small Medium Enterprises; boost agriculture; ensure that tables are filled and everyone has jobs; strengthen the tourism industry; continue the flagship Duterte program of “Build, Build, Build,” including digital infrastructure, and lower electricity rates.
But ultimately, Marcos stuck to his campaign pitch that this is the time for the Filipino people to unite.
Change in air
For the 2022 race, Suarez said there was a change in Quezon. Although he did not specifically state what this was, he mentioned “development and events in our province which is an eye-opener and this is just one indication.”
But the governor believes he can deliver a margin of 300,000 to 400,000 for Marcos over his rivals.
“I assure you this would be an unprecedented election result in the coming election,” Suarez said.
“I can feel the sympathy of the people. I can feel the gut... Like this, this is unprecedented, the crowd [is] so much alive right?” Suarez said, and he was just then referring to the mini-rally at Tiaong.
At the grand rally in Lucena City, the convention was jam-packed that police officers were forced to limit those who can enter the venue and bring down steel roll-up doors. The crowd repeatedly interrupted Marcos in his speech to shout "BBM!" and "Panalo ka na!" As if welcoming the interruptions, the presidential bet indulged the crowd.
Money for the thirsty or vote-buying?
The UniTeam events in Quezon, however, were not without controversies.
Their mini-rally in Cavite became controversial with Gov. Jonvic Remulla handing out cash prizes for talent showdowns — which he insisted is not an election offense since no local candidate was there then even though the whole program was for the endorsement of a national slate.
After the mini-rally at Tiaong Convention Center, vehicles were expectedly held in traffic as they go down.
In the middle of the road, a vehicle had windows down while supporters flock. Philstar.com and Rappler saw people receiving P50 bills.
Asked about the incident, Suarez dismissed it as just one Filipino showing concern to his fellow Filipino who was thirsty. “That was to buy water. I said, let’s not make an issue out of it. It’s your fellow countrymen, asking a little help to buy water,” he said.
Suarez also said the incident had nothing to do with Marcos.
“It was just your simple 'kababayan' (countryman) asking for a little help to buy water,” he repeated.
The Omnibus Election Code prohibits "vote-buying," which it defines as:
Any person who gives, offers or promises money or anything of value, gives or promises any office or employment, franchise or grant, public or private, or makes or offers to make an expenditure, directly or indirectly, or cause an expenditure to be made to any person, association, corporation, entity, or community in order to induce anyone or the public in general to vote for or against any candidate or withhold his vote in the election, or to vote for or against any aspirant for the nomination or choice of a candidate in a convention or similar selection process of a political party.