MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo’s supporters, including celebrities, launched yesterday the “Tao sa Tao” or house-to-house campaign initiative, which aims to convince more Filipinos to vote for her in the May 9 elections.
Actress and singer Agot Isidro, one of the first celebrities to endorse the tandem of Robredo and vice-presidential candidate Sen. Francis Pangilinan, said house-to-house campaigning is their way of reaching out to more individuals and allowing them to learn more about Robredo and her platforms.
“It’s reaching out to those voters who are not in the rallies. It’s really reaching out to the people on the ground who I think are most affected by the outcome of the coming elections,” said Isidro, who joined Robredo volunteers in Bohol last Friday.
An initiative by volunteers and supporters of Robredo and Pangilinan, Tao sa Tao aims to reach out to more people outside the spheres of “solid supporters,” according to a statement by the Leni People’s Campaign.
Isidro said the initiative “enables supporters to have conversations with people, learn more about their personal experiences and share with them what the Vice President has to offer if she becomes president.”
Apart from Isidro, actress Angel Locsin and husband Neil Arce also visited residents of Marawi City and Cagayan de Oro over the weekend to ask for support for Robredo.
Meanwhile, actress Marjorie Barretto joined Robredo’s daughter Aika during a house-to-house campaign in Quezon City yesterday.
Aika said house-to-house campaigning is not new to her family.
“This is the kind of campaigning that we have all been used to,” she said, noting that they used the same strategy when her father, the late former interior secretary Jesse Robredo, ran for mayor of Naga City and when her mother ran for the House of Representatives.
Aika added that talking to people personally is the best way to combat fake news and disinformation.
Supporters and volunteers of Robredo also held yesterday house-to-house campaigns in Isabela, Ilocos Sur, Pampanga, Dinagat, Surigao del Norte, Surigao City, Cebu, Quirino, Butuan City, Nueva Vizcaya, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Norte, Capiz, Calbayog, Davao City, Davao del Sur and South Cotabato.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has relaxed some of the guidelines on election campaigning activities in areas under lower COVID-19 alert levels.
Comelec Commissioner George Garcia, however, said handshaking as well as kissing and taking of selfies are still prohibited during the campaign sorties to prevent the spread of the virus.
370 local bets back Robredo
At least 370 candidates for the May 9 national and local elections are now campaigning for Robredo’s presidential candidacy.
Davao del Norte Rep. and former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said these local candidates belong to Partido Reporma, which he heads, while others are independent bets from 28 provinces.
Alvarez’ party had earlier dropped their support for Sen. Ping Lacson and endorsed Robredo.
Lacson, on the other hand, resigned from Partido Reporma and continued pursuing his presidential bid as an independent candidate.
Alvarez said the 370 candidates are also endorsing the vice presidential bid of Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.
Candidates campaigning for Robredo are from Metro Manila, Cebu, Pangasinan, Batangas, Iloilo, Pampanga, Davao del Sur, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Isabela, Misamis Oriental, Bohol, Maguindanao, Davao del Norte, Zambales, Sorsogon, Davao de Oro, Misamis Occidental, Benguet, Aklan, Davao Oriental, Antique, Occidental Mindoro, Southern Leyte, Aurora and Batanes, according to Alvarez.
He said the 370 local candidates are endorsing Robredo because they believe in the Vice President’s principles. – Edith Regalado