THE president of the National Unity Party (NUP), Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., has gone against his party’s choice for president and endorsed Vice President Leni Robredo, saying she is the most qualified to lead the country in the next six years.
The senior lawmaker came out Saturday night to announce his support for the opposition leader’s presidential bid, just two days after the NUP announced that is it was backing the candidacy of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“If she becomes president, we will have an honest government and all of our lives will really improve,” Barzaga said in Filipino, echoing the campaign slogan of Robredo and her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, during a proclamation rally of his local coalition in Dasmariñas City.
Barzaga represents vote-rich Dasmariñas which has at least 400,000 voters.
Cavite is the second most vote-rich province in the country, with some has 2.3 million voters, next only to Cebu province which has about 3.3 million registered voters.
Barzaga, representative of Cavite’s fourth district, was a staunch ally of the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III despite not being a member of the Liberal Party of which Robredo is chairwoman.
Barzaga said he has been analyzing all the qualifications and experiences of presidential candidates and “only one has the experience in the three departments of our government.”
“And that is Leni Robredo. If we base it on her track record, I believe that she is the most qualified to be President,” he said.
Barzaga’s wife, Dasmariñas Mayor Jenny Austria Barzaga, is also backing Robredo.
However, their son councilor Kiko Barzaga is endorsing Marcos Jr.
Marcos won the backing of the NUP, the party of businessman Enrique Razon, last Thursday.
In a statement released by NUP deputy secretary general and spokesperson Reginald Velasco, the NUP called on its members to back Marcos.
The party has 10 governors, 40 congressmen, 125 mayors, and more than 1,000 provincial, city, and town councilors. It has 59 congressional bets, 12 candidates for governor, and more 1,000 local candidates.
