SEN. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan had to skip a campaign rally with Vice President Leni Robredo’s in Borongan City in Eastern Samar on Wednesday night after learning that local officials were endorsing only the opposition leader’s presidential bid.
Pangilinan, Robredo’s running mate, said he decided not to come to the event which was attended by around 73,000 people after his campaign team informed him that the local officials “wanted only to endorse VP Leni and not my candidacy.”
“In order to ensure that the local political leaders came out in full force to show public support for her bid, I agreed not to attend. In certain localities, to borrow the term, for Leni to increase, I must decrease,” he said.
While he accompanied Robredo in a three-day campaign in Samar and Leyte, Pangilinan did not attend the beach rally on Baybay Boulevard, where Robredo was endorsed by 19 Eastern Samar mayors who joined Gov. Ben Evardone and Rep. Maria Fe Abunda in signing a covenant of support for the Vice President.
The local officials are members of President Duterte’s party, the ruling PDP-Laban, and only one is a member of the Nacionalista Party (NP) of former Sen. Manny Villar.
While a faction of the ruling party is endorsing the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Evardone said he and the pro-Robredo local officials have yet to pick their vice presidential candidate.
At the beach rally, when Robredo began speaking on stage, a group of supporters yelled, “We want Kiko!,” a chant that was repeated the rest of the night.
The Vice President’s camp has made it clear that while some camps are campaigning for cross-party tandems, Robredo will stick it out with Pangilinan until the end because she believes he is the best candidate for the job.
Pangilinan earlier this week said some politicians are trying to undermine his and Vice President Leni Robredo’s “People’s Campaign” in pushing for hybrid or cross-party pairings for the May 9 elections.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda and his group early this month announced support for Leni Robredo-Sara Duterte-Carpio tandem, or “Ro-Sa.” Salceda, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, and Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco launched their “Ro-Sa” campaign in CDO.
POLITICAL BROKERS
Yesterday, in Maigo, Lanao del Norte, Pangilinan thanked the people of Borongan City for looking for him at the rally and expressing support for his vice presidential bid even if their local officials did not endorse him. He said that “in the end, the people will decide and not politicians.”
He said political brokers “are mixing tandems because they see the growing momentum of the Leni-Kiko campaign, together with his message to secure the Filipino people’s food.”
“The people are coming out in tens of thousands. Politicians feel that so they’re endorsing VP. If they feel it more, the day might come that they’ll also endorse me),” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
Pangilinan asked the residents to “reject the return of old politics and their political pawns come May 9 elections.”
In Tangcal, Robredo visited the Small Banisilon Farmers’ Association which built its virgin coconut oil processing facility with the help of the Office of the Vice President.
Earlier, Robredo flew to Cagayan de Oro City where she met with “Ro-Sa” tandem supporters Rodriguez and Rep. Juliette Uy of Misamis Oriental.
She also met with Rep. Maria Lourdes Acosta-Alba of Bukidnon and and her husband Jose Manuel who is running for the position that will be left vacant by his wife.
Robredo was also set to meet with Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno who, like the Acostas, is backing Pangilinan’s bid.
LEGAL ACTION OVER SONG USE
The Department of Education said it will seek legal action after the song “Dakila Ka, Bayani Ka” was used in a political rally without prior permission from the song’s composers and performers.
The song is part of a project at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a tribute to frontliners.
Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua, who spearheaded the project, said there was no permission from composer Arnie Mendaros and Albert Tamayo for its use in any political-related event.
Robredo’s spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez said, “It just seems ironic that DepEd now wants to sue actual doctors — who have risked their lives at the frontlines of the pandemic — over a song paying tribute to these selfsame doctors.”
“From what I understand, it is a group of volunteer doctors that supposedly used the song. The song itself was commissioned as a tribute to frontliners,” he said.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones participated in the recording of the song together with Martin Nievera, Michael V, Carol Banawa, TJ Monterde, Sassa Dagdag, and other artists.
Pascua said in a statement, “We shall seek legal actions on this negligence from the erring production team as we remind the public to keep non-political materials away from the messy side of the election campaign season.”
He was referring to a video posted on Martin DV Facebook Page https https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=654132682307732&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing).
The political ad is showing support for Robredo and Pangilinan.
“While we respect the political choice of the medical personnel featured in the video, we are appalled that the people behind the production of the said video did not even practice due diligence in securing permission first from the artists who graciously lent their time and talent for the song,” Pascua added.
Pascua said they are taking offense since the song about the heroism of frontliners was used to “forward political messages of one party when it is clearly meant for all COVID-19 responders, regardless of political affiliations.”
Pascua asked those behind the video to stop sharing it and to take down their post.
He said the DepEd has yet to ask Facebook to remove the video. — With Ashzel Hachero
