Robredo: Cebu still opposition country

Vice president and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo returns to vote-rich Cebu province 17 days before election day. She promised an inclusive, responsive government if she wins the presidency. -VPLR Media Bureau

BOGO CITY, CEBU — With just 17 days left until Election Day, presidential aspirant and Vice President Leni Robredo returned on Thursday to vote-rich Cebu province in a bid to meet as many voters as possible.

This, she said, would be the hallmark of her government if elected to the presidency: To visit as many areas as much as possible to listen to the people.

Speaking to hundreds of supporters under the sweltering heat of Bogo City—her second stop in the province, Robredo said: “This is what we promise you: A vow that we will not simply wait for you in Malacañang.”

“The farther you are, the more that we will come visit you, because we know that is where we are most needed,” she added.

Robredo also thanked the crowd for braving the summer heat and hunger while waiting for her. “I know you are doing this because you are hungry— hungry for a change in the kind of governance.”

She said she was excited to see the crowd at their Mandaue Grand Rally, which would headline, among others, actress Kim Chiu, a Cebuana.

“But we made sure to stop by here because we know some people might not be able to make it to Mandaue,” Robredo said, adding that this was also why they visited Bantayan Island, the northernmost island in the province.

On the other hand, her running mate Sen. Francis Pangilinan also thanked Cebuanos for showing up even though there were only a handful of local politicians who endorsed them.

This is the second time the tandem has barnstormed Cebu where 3.2 million voters are up for grabs.

While Robredo won in the province in 2016 with 49 percent of the vote, this time, her camp cannot afford to be complacent: The powerful One Cebu party has endorsed her chief rival, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Even so, her supporters here asserted that Cebu is and always will be an anti-Marcos country.

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