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. Robredo entered the stage wearing a crown and holding a small bouquet of flowers, after young dancers performed a medley of folk dances. The rally ended with fireworks and a rose-embellished contraption lighting up the sky. The crowd estimate was provided by the local police and event organizers. (VP Leni Media Bureau)
CEBU CITY – Hundreds of students and alumni of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu staged a unity walk along Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City to celebrate the birthday of Vice President and presidential candidate Leni Robredo on Saturday, April 23.
According to Brian Magalong, alumnus of UP Cebu, the event dubbed “UPink Fight” was inspired by the activities in other constituent universities across the UP system.
“We believe our fellow alumni Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan best exemplify the university’s ideals,” he said.
Magalong said every UP alumni and student must be loyal to our ideals of honor, excellence, and service to the people.
While other universities and colleges in the country are now supporting the Leni-Kiko tandem, UP has not been mum about it.
“It pains us to see so many other universities and institutions be vocal about their support for Leni and Kiko, and UP can’t,” Magalong said.
“We strongly felt that it was now down to us – alumni and students – to make the endorsement. And we are happy we did,” he added.
During their unity walk, the group appealed for an honest government led by leaders with honor and excellence.
“It is our firm belief that it is the poor who will suffer the most from the excesses of a corrupt government. But it is also the poor who will mostly gain if we have honest leaders. We stand with the poor,” he said.
UP Cebu Student Council Vice Chairperson Bern Cañedo said that even before Robredo and Pangilinan announced its candidacy, constituents of the UP have always been in the movement for radical change.
“I do believe that the Leni-Kiko tandem’s massive support from the UP Cebu constituents is a manifestation of the different facets of social actions and movements that our fellow iskolars ng bayan have already started,” he said.
“This so-called movement right now is a manifestation of the UP Cebu constituents’ oath to serve the people, to fight back against historical revisionism, and to amplify the call to uphold our democratic rights,” he added.