ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio on Tuesday admitted that she was “overwhelmed” by the warm reception her regional party received in the province of Pampanga.
Hosted by Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, Duterte-Carpio’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) staged its initial campaign sortie in the city of San Fernando.
The Pinedas’ sponsorship of the presidential daughter’s regional party is a complete turnaround from the 2016 presidential elections when they supported the then-ruling Liberal Party.
“Overwhelmed ako kanina. Ang dami naming kaibigan dito sa Pampanga at maraming nagmamahal kay President Duterte (I was overwhelmed earlier. We have many friends here in Pampanga, and many love President Duterte),” Duterte-Carpio told reporters after HNP’s San Fernando event.
READ: Sara Duterte’s ‘Hugpong’ kicks off campaign in Pampanga
Thousands of Pampangueños trooped to the provincial capitol to meet the HNP’s senatorial candidates.
Duterte-Carpio said she is confident that the track record of her party’s 13-man slate will speak for themselves.
“Nandiyan ‘yung pressure but of course nandyan din ‘yung track record nila sa serbisyo. Some of them are reelectionists and some of them meron nang nagawa para sa ating bayan (There is pressure but of course they also have track records in service. Some of them are reelectionists, and some of them have accomplished something for the country),” she said. /ee