VICE President Leni Robredo yesterday urged supporters to respect results of the May 9 2022 presidential race as her team continues to study her legal options amid some irregularities hounding the conduct of the polls in some areas.
In a live address, the opposition presidential candidate thanked supporters and volunteers for their faith and dedication while appealing for calm and sobriety, saying their “dismay could simmer, especially since there are a lot of irregularities.”
“Mahal natin ang bansa pero ‘di puwedeng maging ugat ng pagkakawatak-watak (We love our country but this should not be the root of disunity),” Robredo said as a group of supporters, including militant groups, staged a protest rally in Manila against the impending landslide victory of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“Bagaman may hindi pa nabibilang, bagaman may mga tanong pa tungkol sa eleksyon na ito na kailangang matugunan, palinaw na nang palinaw ang tinig ng taumbayan. Kailangan natin pakinggan ang tinig na ito (While there are votes that are yet to be counted, questions that need to be answered, the voice of the people is becoming clearer and clearer. We have to listen to this voice).”
The outgoing Vice President did not concede, saying a campaign can only be deemed a failure “if we will allow our bond to disintegrate.”
“We didn’t fail. We’re not yet done. We’re just getting started. A path has been opened and this didn’t close when poll precincts closed. Those who were awakened will not close their eyes again),” she said in Filipino.
Robredo vowed to continue working to uplift the lives of the poor and asked supporters to continue to join her in her advocacies.
Robredo, who attended a Holy Mass in Naga City late afternoon yesterday, also issued a separate statement announcing she will attend a thanksgiving gathering on Friday in Manila to personally express her gratitude to her supporters.
“Sa ika-13 ng Mayo, magkakaroon ng pagtitipon sa NCR upang magpasalamat sa ating mga volunteers. Dadalo rin ako doon. Maglalabas kami ng mga detalye tungkol sa pagtitipon. Dalangin ko ang kapanatagan ng loob at linaw ng kinabukasan para sa ating lahat (On the 13th of May, there will be a gathering in NCR to thank volunteers. I will also attend. We will issue details about the gathering. I pray for our peace of mind and a bright future of all of us),” she said.
While her supporters are still processing what happened on Monday, Robredo said she is aware of the “questions that remain hanging.”
“Sinisimulan na namin ang pagkausap sa mga eksperto upang maaral nang husto ang mga ulat at alegasyon na nababasa natin sa social media. Agad naming ibabahagi ang anumang resulta ng pag-aaral (We have started consulting with experts to thoroughly study the reports and allegations that we’ve been reading on social media. We will immediately share the result of our study),” she said.
Robredo’s spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez said: “Marami sa atin malungkot. Iba galit. Ilan nawawalan ng pag-asa. Ramdam din namin ‘yan. Ramdam namin kayo. (Many of us are sad. Some are angry. Others have lost hope. We feel that. We feel you). We are trying to find the best path forward.”
“Konting pasensiya (We ask for your patience). We will release updates within the day. Kapit lang. Nandito kami (Just hold on. We’re here),” said the former Akbayan party-list lawmaker.
QUESTIONS
Like Robredo, her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan also refused to throw in the towel, saying he is one with Robredo since the counting of votes is not yet done.
“Sa ilang mga presinto, hindi pa tapos ang botohan. May mga tanong tungkol sa proseso na hindi pa nasasagot (In some precincts, voting has not yet done. There are questions about the process that are yet to be answered),” he said.
“Hindi pa tapos ang ating gawain. Bukas, paggising natin at sa susunod na mga umaga, mahirap pa rin ang ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda. Hindi pa rin makakapangisda sa sarili nating karagatan ang ating mga mandaragat. Ipagtatabuyan pa rin ng China (Our work isn’t done yet. Tomorrow when we wake up and the next morning, our farmers and fishermen will remain poor. They still won’t be able to fish in our own seas. China will continue to drive them away),” Pangilinan, who is in second place in partial unofficial results, added.
Pangilinan also vowed to continue what he and Robredo have started, a movement fueled by volunteerism and the Filipinos’ Bayanihan spirit and an advocacy for good governance.
He said he would accompany Robredo on Friday “to express our sincere gratitude to those who helped in our campaign.”
PNP READY
PNP officer in charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr said they are bracing for possible protest actions by Robredo supporters.
“We’ve been receiving so many reports of sorts rally, these are upcoming rallies,” said Danao without elaborating on the extent of the protests allegedly planed by the Robredo supporters.
Nevertheless, he said the PNP respect the rights of Robredo supporters to express their grievances and opinions on the outcome of the election
“But as I said, let us always exercise sobriety… especially since their candidate lost. We are appealing to them to be sober and respect the result of the election,” said Danao.
Danao said he has yet to hear or read the statement of Robredo but said if it seeks to diffuse the “tension,” that would be a big help to the PNP.
Danao said the PNP is ready for protest actions. He said civil disturbance management is one of the scenarios they have prepared for in this year’s elections.
He said policemen will exercise maximum tolerance when dealing with protesters.
“As early as two months or three months ago, we already prepared for the post-election scenarios… We have contingency plan for that,” said Danao, referring to protests.
PROTEST
Members of youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan trooped to the head office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Intramuros, Manila to protest what they said was an “unacceptable” poll result, given “anomalies” that marred the elections.
“The elections were unacceptable. Yet they are simply the latest in a long line of unacceptable elections that stretches back decades,” said the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan in a statement.
“Yesterday, the Filipino masses were, once more, denied the right to choose their leaders, their policies, and the direction of their lives,” it added.
One issue they protested is the alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement, which started spreading in the early hours of voting.
They also lamented instances of vote-counting machines failing to function, and pointed to reported shooting incidents and grenade explosions in Mindanao.
“The anomalies of 2022 follow the same pattern as the anomalies of 2019, and of almost every national and local election that came before,” said the youth group.
Sought for comment, acting Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said they are prepared to face the allegations in a proper forum.
“If they have enough basis and they want to file a complaint, we have rules of procedures that they can refer to. It is the proper ventilation for such cases,” he said in a press briefing.
Human rights group Karapatan called on Filipinos to reject the new Marcos presidency, which it said was built on lies and disinformation “to deodorize the Marcoses’ detestable image.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International accused Marcos and his running mate of avoiding discussing human rights violations, including those committed under martial law and during President Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
Marcos gave few clues on the campaign trail about his policy agenda, but is expected to closely follow outgoing President Duterte, who favored big infrastructure works, close ties with China and strong growth. — With Victor Reyes, Gerard Naval and Reuters
