BY WENDELL VIGILIA and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
FILIPINOS cannot expect any meaningful change if they will not reject traditional politics, opposition presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo said yesterday on the first day of the national campaign period.
“Hanggang hindi po natin pinapalitan ang luma at bulok na klase ng politika, hanggang hindi po natin nabibigyan ng inspirasyon at pag-asa ang ating mga kababayan, talagang walang magbabago (As long as we don’t renounce the old and rotten kind of politics, as long as we don’t inspire and give our people hope, nothing will change,” the opposition presidential candidate told the crowd at Angat Buhay Village in Lupi, Camarines Sur.
She was accompanied by her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan and some of their senatorial candidates.
The Angat Buhay Village, the Robredo team’s first campaign stop, is a housing and resettlement project for more than a hundred families who lost their homes when typhoons “Quinta,” “Rolly,” and “Ulysses” hit the province in late 2020.
Angat Buhay is the flagship poverty alleviation program of the Office of the Vice President, which Robredo launched in 2016.
Robredo’s supporters, who call themselves “Kakampink,” also launched their own campaigns across the country, including a fluvial parade by the group Sentro in Talisay, Cebu.
On Day 1 of the campaign period, presidential bet Sen. Panfilo Lacson was in Imus, Cavite where he and running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III held their proclamation rally.
Lacson said he and Sotto will continue their unblemished kind of leadership if elected, and the people can bank on their clean track record.
Lacson urged the people to carefully choose their next leaders or be sorry in the next six years.
Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao had a sendoff from his home in General Santos City before he officially started his presidential bid. With his wife Jinkee and parents Dionisia and Rosalio Pacquiao surrounded by a handful of relatives and close friends, the boxing icon-turned politician prayed for protection and guidance during the campaign until the May 9 election day. His running mate, Rep. Lito Atienza (PL-Buhay) was not able to join after suffering from a sprain although the latter delivered his message via Zoom.
The tandem of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Willie Ong launched their bids at the Kartilya ng Katipunan beside the Manila City Hall, where supporters wore their trademark blue shirt.
Moreno, in asking for public support his bid, asked his supporters if their lives have changed for the better during the 21 years of the Marcos regime, the 12 years of the Aquino administration (former presidents Corazon and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino) and the Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo administrations.
“Kung pagod na kayo sa kanila, andito ako (If you’re tired of them, I’m here,” he said.The “BBM-Sara UniTeam” of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio vowed to push for unity and equality which they said is the key to the country’s progress.
Marcos and Duterte-Carpio kicked off their campaign at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The two said their goal is to provide Filipinos with jobs, quality education and peaceful living.
Marcos said he and Duterte-Carpio are optimistic that the Philippines will overcome all the challenges it is currently facing, especially if all Filipinos work as one.
The UniTeam estimated some 25,000 people, both inside and outside the arena, attended the event. The venue can accommodate 55,000 people but they limited the people in the arena in compliance with the health protocols.
DUTERTE’S BET
No one among the presidential bets has obtained the support of President Duterte who, on Monday night, said he is not endorsing any candidate “at this time.”
The President, in his “Talk to the People” address, said “almost all of the candidates, in one way or the other, communicated to me” and asked for support.
Duterte said he believes that all presidential aspirants are qualified though there are those with “a few misgivings about the danger of falling… into a trap with the communists.”
He said he may decide later on if he will endorse anyone, especially if he sees that it would help the candidate, “but at this time, I am saying that I am not supporting anybody.”
The PNP, meanwhile, said no major untoward incident was monitored on Day 1 of the campaign period.
“So far, (it was) peaceful in terms of security in different areas of engagement,” said PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo.
“However, we have noticed that there are some violations of the minimum public health standard particularly on the part of the spectators. For this reason, the PNP is closely coordinating with the local barangay officials to address this concern,” Fajardo added.
James Jimenez, spokesman of the Commission on Elections, said the poll body has received reports of “some potential violations of certain election norms and practices.”
Among them, he said, are participants in campaign activities not wearing face shields and not observing physical distancing. He also pointed to social reports of a government-owned vehicle used by a candidate and campaign posters being placed outside common poster areas.
Jimenez asked the public to submit reports and file complaints as he said details about the supposed violations are unknown. If the incident happened before the campaign period, it cannot be considered a violation.
The Comelec has created an e-mail account dedicated to receive such reports — sumbongko@votesafe.ph.
“On Twitter, we are asking everyone to use the #SumbongKo. This will allow us to identify from among the mass of tweets the potential violations of election laws,” he said.
Robredo said many people have completely lost hope in the country’s leaders, “believing that whoever we elect, our lives will not change for the better.”
The Vice President, who wore her signature color pink, later proceeded to the towns of Libmanan and Tigaon, where she told residents that when a candidate says he loves the poor and he or she is not corrupt, they should not readily believe and instead look at the bet’s “track record.”
Robredo said the Angat Buhay Village is proof that it is possible for the people to have an honest government that can deliver results and uplift their quality of life.
She also urged the people to vote for Pangilinan and their whole senatorial slate — former Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Leila de Lima who was represented by a lawyer, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, lawyer and author Alex Lacson, labor leader Sonny Matula, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV and guest candidates former vice president Jejomar Binay, Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero; and re-electionists Richard Gordon Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Robredo-Pangilinan tandem and their whole senatorial slate later proceeded to a grand rally at the Plaza Quezon in her home town Naga City which was also attended by showbiz personalities like Agot Isidro, Rita Avila, Cherry Pie Picache, rock band Rivermaya, among others.
TRUST
Sotto said he and Lacson III will bring back the people’s trust in the government.
“We saw that the budget does not reach the poor… We need a good implementation of the law that’s why we are here asking for your trust so that you can benefit from it),” he said in Filipino.
Lacson and Sotto were accompanied in the proclamation rally by senatorial bets Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario, former PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar, Dr. Mingutia Padilla and guest candidates Emmanuel Pinol and JV Ejercito.
Pacquiao, from his residence, towed a 580-vehicle caravan through seven major points in General Santos City before ending at the Oval Grand Stadium where he was welcomed by a crowd of some 25,000 supporters.
His camp said the bulk of vehicles that joined the caravan and the people that flocked to the General Santos Oval Plaza were from the provinces of Sarangani, Maguindanao, and South Cotabato.
Of Pacquiao’s 12-member senatorial lineup, only media personality Raffy Tulfo and former Senate secretary Lutgardo Barbo were able to join him for the proclamation rally organized by his political party, PROMDI, while reelectionist Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was represented by celebrity girlfriend Bianca Manalo.
The other names in the Pacquiao-Atienza senatorial ticket — Gordon, Legarda, Escudero, Binay, and former senator “JV” Ejercito sent video messages that were aired during the ceremony.
NO PERMIT
The Comelec said no campaign permit has been issued to presidential candidate Leody de Guzman, specifically for his scheduled proclamation rally yesterday in Quezon City.
According to the Comelec’s Education and Information Department (EID), the local campaign committee has not received any application from de Guzman’s camp.
Under the new campaign guidelines of the Comelec, all candidates looking to conduct campaign rallies in a particular LGU must secure permits from the Comelec Campaign Committee.
And if such an event pushes through without a permit, an election offense may be committed.
EID Director Elaiza David said the camps of Robredo and Moreno have also been denied permits for their campaign activities because the applications were filed out of time.
3RD PETITION JUNKED
Three down, four to go.
The Comelec’s Second Division dismissed another petition to cancel Marcos’ certificate of candidacy (COC).
According to the Marcos case briefer released by the Comelec yesterday, he petition filed by Tiburcio Villamor Marcos against the former senator has been dismissed last week.
“Notice and Order sent to the parties on 31 January 2022 (Petition dismissed),” said the Comelec.
A copy of the decision of the Comelec Second Division has yet to be made available.
Tiburcio Marcos filed a petition to cancel the COC of Bongbong Marcos after the former accused the latter of being an “impostor”
Previously, the Comelec Second Division dismissed the petition of Danilo Lihaylihay to declare Marcos a nuisance candidate, as well as the petition to cancel his COC filed by Fr Christian Buenafe et al.
Still pending are the petitions to disqualify Marcos filed by Bonifacio Ilagan et al, by the Akbayan Party, by Abubakar Mangelen, and by the “Pudno Nga Ilokano” (the pure Ilocanos). — With Raymond Africa, Peter Tabingo, Ashzel Hachero, Gerard Naval and Victor Reyes
