Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag
MANILA, Philippines — The Easter Sunday press conference of presidential candidates Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Norberto Gonzales, and Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential bets Dr. Willie Ong and Vicente Sotto III only acknowledged the strength of the Uniteam and its standard-bearer Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
This was the belief of Cabinet Secretary Melvin Matibag, who is also the secretary-general of the PDP Laban faction led by party president Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.
Matibag, Cusi, and senatorial candidates under their PDP-Laban wing held a press briefing Tuesday and were asked if the April 17 presser of the three presidential candidates and two vice presidential bets –where a call was issued for another presidential candidate, Vice President Leni Robredo, to quit the 2022 elections – was beneficial to Marcos.
The Cusi-led PDP-Laban faction has endorsed Marcos’ candidacy in the May 2022 polls.
“If you would look at the dynamics of the press con, it will only show the strength of BBM (Marcos). Because that is unprecedented, this is the first time na nangyari ‘yon (that it happened), several candidates having a press conference to encourage one of the candidates to withdraw. So it’s a recognition of the strength of the Uniteam,” said Matibag.
“So if you will look it (at) that way, ibig sabihin sila mismo kita nila na parang hindi na kaya i-reverse ‘yong tide. So they have to do something unusual. What happened in Manila Peninsula on that Easter Sunday was something that is unusual,” he added.
During the April 17 press briefing, however, only Moreno asked for the withdrawal of Robredo. Lacson and Gonzales have consequently denied calling on Robredo to back out from the presidential race.
Ong – Moreno’s running mate – also said he is against the Manila mayor’s call for Robredo’s withdrawal.
Salvador Panelo, a senatorial wannabe running under Cusi’s PDP-Laban group, echoed Matibag’s view.
“As I said earlier, it appears to favor the candidacy of the Uniteam for the following reasons: one, it is a recognition of the strength of Mr. Marcos. Number two, it also is a recognition that the way he is campaigning is acceptable to the other presidential candidates — all of them are complaining about VP Leni’s way of campaigning,” Panelo said.
“And it also shows, by their statements, that they are going to respect the will of the majority, that these candidates are honorable statesmen because even the wide margin that is being shown by all the surveys, it means that it is almost a given that BBM and Sara Duterte (lead) the presidential and vice-presidential race,” he added.
READ: Robredo to supporters: Focus on heart-to-heart campaign, we have a nation to fight for
But Cusi gave a careful opinion on the Easter Sunday press conference of Moreno, Gonzales, Ong, and Sotto.
“Well, mahirap sabihin ‘yon (it is hard to say) whether it’s good or bad for Bongbong Marcos, it can go either way. But let’s put it this way: itong sinasabi na pinagwi-withdraw ‘yong kandidato, it doesn’t mean that voters will (pick) another candidate or VP Leni. It doesn’t follow that,” Cusi noted.
Marcos had a four-percentage point decrease at 56 percent although still leading the last Pulse Asia survey. Robredo followed with a nine-percentage point increase to 24 percent.
The same survey showed Moreno obtained 8 percent; Manny Pacquiao, 6 percent; and Lacson, 2 percent, of the adult respondents’ approval.