WHILE there was no significant movement in her numbers, results of the latest Pulse Asia survey “further confirms Vice President Leni Robredo’s upward trajectory and momentum,” the camp of the opposition presidential candidate said yesterday.
The survey, conducted from April 16 to 21, showed former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. retained his 56 percent rating while Robredo got 23 percent which is one percentage point lower than her previous score.
“Her numbers remain encouraging, even if the survey does not yet capture the series of massive rallies from mid-April onwards, including the record-breaking 400k+ Pasay Rally on April 23,” Robredo’s spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez said, referring to the Vice President’s birthday rally which filled the stretch of Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City.
Gutierrez expressed belief Robredo’s rating remains on the rise even if it went down one percentage point. He explained the survey has a ± 2% margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level and ± 4% error for major island groups covered. In the Pulse Asia survey conducted in February and released on March 14, Robredo had a rating of only 15 percent.
“The remaining weeks of the campaign have seen intensified efforts at house-to-house, person-to-person campaigning by thousands of volunteers, which we believe will translate to support on election day,” Gutierrez said. “This has truly become a people’s campaign, a grassroots movement of Filipinos from all walks of life and from all over the Philippines. We put our trust that this people’s campaign will win the day on May 9.”
On Sunday night, at least 100,000 people joined Robredo’s rally in Cavite where she was again endorsed by Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, who is the president of the National Unity Party (NUP), his wife Mayor Jenny Barzaga of Dasmariñas City, and Rep. Alex Advincula.
It was Robredo’s second visit to the province since the beginning of the campaign period.
Cavite has over 2.1 million registered voters, the second vote-rich province in the country.
Robredo’s first campaign rally in the province led to controversy after deputy speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla accused some Robredo supporters of being communist rebels.
Sunday night’s “Kabi10nyo: Ipanalo Na10 ‘to Grand Rally” was held at the Dasmariñas Football Field.
Rep. Barzaga, introducing Robredo, told the crowd, “Magsama-sama tayo at itaguyod natin ang kandidatura ng isang tunay na lingkod-bayan. Walang bahid korapsyon, malinis ang pangalan, nandoon pag panahon ng kagipitan, laging tumutulong sa ating mga kababayan (Let’s join hands and support the candidacy of a true public servant who has no blemish of corruption, who has a clean name, who is there in times of need helping our people).”
Robredo was reunited with Sherwin Abdon, a former loyalist of her rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who gave Robredo a ride on his motorcycle when she was running late for her her campaign rally in the province last March because of heavy traffic.
Abdon and his wife Tin have become converts and have been actively campaigning for Robredo who thanked them on stage and called them her new-found friends.
“Alam niyo, ang kwento ni Tin, kung meron daw ditong pinaka-loyalista sa kabilang kampo, sila iyong dalawa. Sumasama pa sila sa mga motorcade dati (You now, according to Tin, if there are loyalists of the other camp, they were the ones. They were even joining motorcades),” Robredo said.
“By God’s grace, talagang nagpara lang po kami ng motorsiklo kaya maraming salamat, Sherwin. Buti po noong nakita ako ni Sherwin, pinasakay niya pa din ako. Pero alam niyo ngayon, sila na ‘yung pinakamasipag na nagkakampanya sa atin (By God’s grace, we really just flagged down a motorcycle so thank you, Sherwin. I was lucky that when I saw Sherwin, he still allowed me to ride his bike. Now, they are our most ardent campaigners here),” she added.
Yesterday, Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan inaugurated and signed a mural on the walls of the Northern Star office in Tabuk City, Kalinga and met with volunteers and supporters.
PRISON CHAPLAINS
A group of prison ministry chaplains, workers and volunteers endorsed the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, saying the two are the “best possible choices” among the other candidates in the May 9 elections.
The group said they are “individual prison ministry chaplains, workers and volunteers affiliated with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care from the various archdioceses and dioceses, prelatures, and apostolic vicariates around the Philippines.”
They said the tandem has all the qualities they are looking for in leaders.
“This decision was arrived at after seriously considering their good character, personal integrity, track record of service in the government, commitment to uphold good governance and practices, ability to enter and implement partnerships and programs for the advancement of the people especially the poor and marginalized,” they added.
They also endorsed the senatorial candidacies of reelectionist Leila de Lima and Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV, human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, and Teddy Baguilat who they said are “honorable people” who have worked for human rights. — With Ashzel Hachero
