Robredo to Cebuano ‘Kakampinks’: Hold the fort until D-Day, convince more voters

The “Ceboom: Cebu People’s Rally 2.0” for presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her slate mustered a 150,000-strong crowd at the Ouano Avenue, Reclamation area in Mandaue City on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Photo by VPLR Media Bureau

MANDAUE CITY, CEBU — Vice president and presidential aspirant Leni Robredo may have won Cebu province in the 2016 vice presidential race, but she refuses to be complacent.

Touring the vote-rich Visayan province for the second time, she and her running mate traveled through 135 kilometers of northern Cebu: Bantayan Island, Bogo City, Tabuelan, Tuburan, Danao City, to Mandaue City, where 150,000 “kakampinks” defied the local party’s endorsement of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

The grand rally, which featured cultural performances about Cebu’s rich heritage, headlined A-list celebrity and Cebuana Kim Chiu, comediennes Pokwang and Cherry Pie Pichache, actress-singer Nikki Valdez – all of whom were guaranteed crowd-getters.

Still, the loudest cheers were for Robredo: “Daog na ta! Uban ta Leni!” (Panalo na! Come with Leni!)

“People from the places I visited asked me earlier: Why do you still tour far-flung provinces when there is already a grand rally here in Mandaue?” Robredo asked the crowd. “This is because this is what you can expect from me when I become President.”

“If elected, I promise you this: the government will come to you. The farther you are, the harder it is to get to you, the more I will visit you to let you know that we will never neglect you,” she said.

This message was in line with her promise to bring “tsinelas leadership” – the brand of grassroots, hands-on governance that her late husband, former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, popularized – to Malacanang if elected to the presidency.

To hammer her point, she told Cebuanos that she was presented a Cebu Development Agenda crafted by several sectoral organizations across Cebu.

She shared that what they gave her was in line with most of their platforms.

“This is the kind of governance that we will follow when we become president,” she said. “That the government will always listen to ordinary people.”

The “Ceboom: Cebu People’s Rally 2.0” for presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her slate mustered a 150,000-strong crowd at the Ouano Avenue, Reclamation area in Mandaue City on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Photo by VPLR Media Bureau

In the absence of local politicians’ endorsement, representatives of ordinary Filipinos from all walks of life – security guards, teachers, street vendors, lawyers, doctors, among others – also came onstage to raise her hand.

Since their April 9 Pampanga rally, where farmers from San Simon raised Pangilinan’s hands, endorsement of ordinary people has become an intricate part of her campaign, in a bid to show that no political machinery can trump the will of the people.

Earlier in the day, Robredo told reporters that she remained confident that she could carry the province anew in 2022.

But in Mandaue, the lone female presidential candidate urged supporters to hold the fort a little longer – at least until May 7, the last day for campaigning.

“Can you promise us that you will come with us in this fight? Can we still do this? Can we still convince the unconvinced to come to our side?” she exhorted the crowd. “If yes, then this is what we tell you: Let’s go, let’s win this!”

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