73 provincial governors support Marcos Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — At least 90 percent or 73 of the 81 governors in the country are now supporting the candidacy of UniTeam presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as they vowed to give him a landslide victory in the fast-approaching May 9 national polls.

This developed as a total of 16 governors trooped to the Marcos headquarters in Mandaluyong on Sunday night to reiterate their support for his presidential bid.

It was the second round of meetings between Marcos and local chief executives for the consolidation of command votes in their respective provinces.

“The statement of Chavit (Singson) that almost 90 percent of governors are already for Bongbong. That’s true. Right now, we have a new president,” said Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez.

Suarez was referring to the statement of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Mayor and League of Municipalities of the Philippines president Chavit Singson who said that 90 percent of governors fully support the Marcos-Sara UniTeam.

“I don’t see any unprecedented event that can hamper the victory of Bongbong,” Suarez said.

Singson also appealed to the governors to work doubly hard to make sure that Marcos would be the first “majority president” since the multi-party system was implemented in the country.

The governors said that Singson’s appeal is very possible based on the results of surveys where Marcos garnered more than 50 percent of voter preference.

For his part, Isabela Gov. Rodito Albano said there is no need for UniTeam to campaign in their province.

“Even if I will not campaign for him, he is a sure winner. We might have more votes for BBM than Ilocos,” Albano said.

Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas echoed the governor’s sentiments, saying he will push for the protection of Marcos’ votes in his province.

“We are sure of winning. But we have to push and guard it. We have to show that BBM is the solution. It’s really BBM who is pushing for unity. And that is what all of us are looking for,” Mandanas said.

On the other hand, Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap also gave assurance that the majority of Boholanos will vote for Marcos.

“We have a new survey in Bohol which was just released last Friday. BBM has 54 percent. We will still work on that. But we see no problem,” Yap said.

Also present were Governors Dax Cua of Quirino, Susan Yap of Tarlac, Jose Riano of Romblon, Florencio Miraflores of Aklan, Philip Tan of Misamis Occidental, Eduardo Gadiano of Mindoro Occidental, Alexander Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, Bonifacio Lacwasan of Mountain Province, Suharto Mangudadatu of Sultan Kudarat, and former governor Jun Ynares III of Rizal.

Apart from concerns and priority programs in their respective provinces, Marcos said the informal but intimate meeting with the local chief executives that coincided with the second Comelec-sponsored presidential debate, also tackled vote protection for the upcoming May 9 elections.

“We agreed to have vote protection. That is what we have talked about to ensure a smooth election. All votes should be counted and no problem will arise,” Marcos said.

Present during the previous meeting were Governors Imelda Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, Francisco Emmanuel Ortega III of La Union, Nancy Catamco of Cotabato, Esteban Evan Contreras of Capiz, Damian Mercado of Southern Leyte, Ferdinand Tubban of Kalinga, Joy Bernos of Abra, Jerry Dalipog of Ifugao, and Camiguin gubernatorial bet Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo.

Yap endorses Sara

Tarlac Gov. Susan Yap on Saturday called on her fellow Tarlaqueños to support the vice presidential bid of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

The reelectionist governor, who is running unopposed, also thanked President Duterte for always making sure that the province’s needs are met.

“Here in Tarlac, we express our sincerest gratitude to their family. Because despite everything, projects poured in here, and our mayors know that,” Yap said before some 3,000 people who attended the Joint Town Clustered Meeting at the Sta. Ignacia Auditorium in Tarlac.

The attendees came from the towns of Sta. Ignacia, Camiling, Mayantoc and San Clemente.

Yap had endorsed the presidential and vice presidential tandem of Marcos and Duterte after the UniTeam ticket’s campaign rally in Paniqui town on April 2. – Ric Sapnu