OPPOSITION presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Monday campaigned in the Cordillera Region, holding an evening rally in Baguio City, a part of the so-called “Solid North” which is said to be the bailiwick of her closest rival, former senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“Bus lang ang Solid North! (Solid North is just the name of a transit bus company!)” said one the placards raised by a Robredo supporter at the “Takder Kordi, Ranniag Ti Namnama: Cordillera People’s Rally” held at the Melvin Jones Grandstand, Baguio City in Benguet where some 30,000 supporters and volunteers gathered.
A week before the national elections, the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem barnstormed the Cordilleras with their vow of good governance and safeguarding public coffers if they are elected into office.
The Cordillera Administrative Region is composed of six provinces — Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province — and two cities — Baguio and Tabuk.
The Leni-Kiko tandem and their “Tropang Angat” senatorial slate won the endorsement of Baguio’s “Big 3” universities: University of Baguio, St. Louis University, and University of the Cordilleras, dismissing the notion of a “Solid North” supporting the Marcoses.
The endorsements were made by Fr. Gilbert Sales, SLU president; Ray Dean Salvosa, chairman of the University of the Cordilleras; and Dr. Virgilio Bautista, former president of UB.
“Bakit? This is a moral crisis. This is a battle for the soul of our nation,” said Salvosa.
“Nakita niyo sa mga polls na, to this day, sinasabi nila based on the Pulse Asia survey, na leading si Bongbong Marcos (You’ve seen in the polls, to this day, they say that based on the Pulse Asia survey, Bongbong Marcos is leading). Bakit nangyayari ‘yan? (Why is this happening?) Nangyari ‘yan (It’s happening) partly because of the failure of our education system. Hindi natin nakita, hindi natin nakita (We didn’t see the) ‘yung power ng social media.”
Salvosa denounced the Marcoses’ alleged attempt to revise the country’s history, saying he, Fr. Sales and Bautista were students during the martial law regime, which Marcos’ father Ferdinand declared in the 70s, and “it was far from being our Golden Age.”
“Binago nila ‘yung istorya ng martial law, and marami sa mga kabataan ngayon hindi alam ang kwento ng martial law (They changed the story of martial law. Many young people nowadays don’t know the story of martial law,” he said adding he and Bautista live through martial law because they were in college when it was declared.
NATIONAL ARTISTS
Robredo and Pangilinan were also endorsed by national artists Virgilio “Rio Alma” Almario (for Literature), Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera (for the Visual Arts) and Eric “Kidlat Tahimik” de Guia (for Film).
De Guia rallied the crowd, saying they should “not be intimidated” even if Marcos is leading in surveys. “Huwag tayo masindak doon sa mga polls na predicting na babalik daw ang dark days ng martial law (Let’s not be cowed by surveys predicting the return of the dark days of martial law),” he said.
He said martial rule would not happen because there is an “alternate candidate” who can bring out the strength in Filipinos.
Robredo thanked the Big 3 universities and the national artists.
“Nagpapasalamat ako, gaya po ng sabi ng mga National Artists natin kanina, kahit mahirap ‘yung laban, lumalaban. Kahit maraming mga hadlang, hindi umaayaw, dahil alam po natin na ‘pag tama ang ating nilalaban, wala naman tayong talo (I’m grateful. Like what our national artists said earlier, we’re fighting evn if its difficult. Even if there are many obstacles, we’re not giving up, because we know that when you fight for what is right, no one loses).”
The rally was also graced by performers like rapper Aristotle Pollisco, better known as Gloc-9, who sang his hit song “Upuan” which tackles societal ills and injustices brought about by old and rotten kind of politics, and singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel.
LAST PUSH
The Cordillera campaign began with a stop in Tabuk City in Kalinga, a part of the Cordillera region on Monday morning where the Leni-Kiko tandem met with volunteers and supporters and asked for “one last push for the nation’s future.”
“Ako, kahit maging Pangulo ako (Even if I become president), I cannot promise you that all our problems will disappear when I’m President. Pero ang mapa-promise ko sa inyo na after six years (But what I can promise you is after six years), you will again be proud to be Filipinos,” Robredo said.
Robredo also signed a mural painted on the walls of the Northern Star Office and paid a courtesy call on Mayor Darwin Estrañero in Tabuk City Hall.
From Kalinga, Robredo visited Abra where she was welcomed by the Abra Electric Cooperative (ABRECO) and Abra for Leni-Kiko volunteers.
Robredo also visited the Rev. Leopoldo Jaucian, bishop of Bangued, and other members of the clergy for a short blessing earlier in the day.
Yesterday, Robredo and Pangilinan were scheduled to meet with supporter Mayor Jerry Treñas and attend a grand rally at the public plaza of La Paz District in Iloilo City dubbed “Grand Pasalamat.”
The tandem last visited the city on February 25 where about 40,000 supporters gathered at the Iloilo Sports Complex where former Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia sang his old band’s hits to the crowd’s delight.