Coughing and with a cold, Sara Duterte leads HNP’s campaign in Cebu

Cough and colds won’t stop presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio from campaigning her senatorial candidates in Cebu -leg of the Visayas caravan. Photo by Junjie Mendoza, Inquirer Visayas

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Sick with a cold and coughing, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio still made her rounds in Cebu on Thursday for the campaign caravan of the 13 senatorial bets of her Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) party for the May midterm elections.

During the activities in Cebu, Duterte-Carpio was often seen covering her face with a handkerchief. While making her speech, she also had to stop several times to sip water. Her speech was also punctuated with coughs.

“Motoo mo ug barang? Tagnaa kinsa ang nag barang sa akoa? Isa lang ka tagna (Do you believe in witchcraft ? Guess who wanted me cursed? Just one guess),” Duterte-Carpio quipped after sipping water in the middle of her speech.

A host during the program in Cebu City told the crowd that the President’s daughter did not bother at all to rest despite getting sick at the campaign trail.

Hugpong Ng Pagbabago first made its stop in Mandaue City with local candidates and the senatorial slate being endorsed by the President’s daughter.

The party’s second stop was in Cebu City with local candidates led by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella who is challenging incumbent Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

The Davao City mayor arrived at 4:30 p.m. at the IEC Convention Center in Cebu City and left the stage at 6:30 p.m. even before the program ended around 7 p.m.

She however introduced all her 13 senatorial slates to the crowd. Three of the candidates however were not present including former Special Adviser to the President Bong Go, Senator JV Ejercito, and Senator Cynthia Villar.

Duterte-Carpio left without raising the hands of the local candidates she also endorsed for Cebu City–an expected gesture during campaign sorties where a popular official usually raises the hand of the candidates.

Last Wednesday, HNP was in Bohol.

On Friday, Duterte-Carpio is expected to continue the HNP’s Visayas campaign caravan in the Northern town of Liloan where she was expected again to introduce the party’s senatorial candidates and also endorse local candidates in the Cebu local race.  /muf