OPPOSITION presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan on Saturday put the finishing touches on a newly-repainted mural in Isabela that was earlier defaced under the “Operation Baklas” campaign of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The tandem visited the the street art and volunteer painters in Echague, Isabela before heading over for the Isabela “People’s Rally,” the last activity in their one-day visit to Cagayan and Isabela.
Robredo thanked the volunteers in Echague for their sacrifices and said they serve as “an inspiration.” Robredo later tweeted about the mural: “Our shared story of resilience, borne out of love — anu man ang balakid, sige lang, lalaban lang (Whatever the challenge is, we’ll just fight on).”
The Robredo-Pangilinan mural was repainted by the Youth for Leni-Isabela just last Friday after uniformed personnel painted over the original one last month. The artists intentionally left an unfinished rose for the tandem to complete, which they did when they made a quick stop in Barangay Ipil in Echague to see the pink mural which was painted on a wall owned by supporter Evelyn Afiado Flor.
The wall had also been vandalized after Robredo’s volunteers repainted it pink and held a candle-lighting ceremony as a form of protest.
The original mural, a painting of the faces of Robredo and Pangilinan, was created by the volunteers on February 13. Days later, the Comelec’s “Oplan Baklas” was implemented, and the wall was painted white.
While the mural’s design is simple, the group said their message is clear: They will keep going against the tide in the so-called “Solid North” which is a group of provinces that are traditionally the bailiwicks of the Marcos family.
Robredo-Pangilinan tandem supporters in the province said motorists passing by would sometimes roll down their windows and shout the name of former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who is also running for president, or flash his trademark peace sign.
The 71-year-old Flor said, “We have to make a lot of sacrifices in terms of resources, in terms of people bullying. We’re being bullied and ridiculed, saying we are a motley group, that ‘your candidate will not win in Isabela.’ We are out to prove that with our meager resources and with the help of these youth volunteers, we will be able to have more voters for Leni and Kiko.”
Flor said their campaign posters would be slashed or taken down, but she and the other volunteers would put them up again. It has become a cycle but they will never be daunted.
She said her children are supportive of her but they worry for her safety. Yet, the entrepreneur chose to keep going, reaching into her own pocket for the volunteers’ needs.
“I feel this is something I have to do because there’s no better candidate than Leni. That’s why I’m trying to contribute in my own way,” she said.
Flor said Robredo’s supporters will continue soldiering on to break the “Solid North.”
“Solid North is a wrong notion just because many people here are Ilocano, they came from the Ilocos region. The youth has been enlightened, even of older people are solid BBM ‘Marcos). They know what’s wrong with the government and they want change,” she said.
‘RED’ SUPPORTERS
President Duterte on Saturday night raised concerns about a reported collusion between communist insurgents, the opposition, and another group out to sow discord and chaos, especially in the upcoming election.
“What I really am afraid of is the report of the intelligence community… There’s a parang grouping of the communists, itong mga dilawan, pati itong mga, may isa pa… They are watching for that kind of situation. They might sow chaos, they have these working relations now with the `yellows’ and the election is the objective really,” he said in mixed English and Filipino during an interview with his spiritual adviser, pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
The “dilawan” pertains to the opposition headed by the late President Benigno Aquino III that used the color yellow and black as its political color.
Vice President Leni Robredo, who ran under the Aquino-led banner in 2016, now uses pink as her political color.
The issue of communists supporting a candidate was first claimed by Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla who said some of the participants of the Robredo-Pangilinan team, who showed up in a massive campaign rally in the province on March 4, were activist students “trained” by the communist group. He also alleged the attendees were paid P500 each.
The President said he could not guarantee that there would be no violence during the election period but he reiterated that he will not allow violence in the upcoming elections.
The Commission on Elections has deputized the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies to help ensure safe and peaceful elections this year. The President had concurred with the Comelec.
On concerns that some ballots to be used in the coming polls were printed without any witness, the President said he is confident the Commission on Elections would not allow any irregularity and follow the protocols.
Sen. Imee Marcos said last week the Comelec has allowed the National Printing Office to print the voter’s ballots without witnesses and has blocked independent observers from monitoring the configuration of SD cards for vote-counting machines.
She also said the Comelec has reduced the number of digital signatures needed to ensure that the May election results are authentic. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
