Vice President Leni Robredo (left) and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. (File photos from Philippine Daily Inquirer)
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Philippines — Local officials in this province formally declared their support on Sunday for the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.
The local officials in the province are the unopposed National Unity Party (NUP) candidates led by Second District Rep. Adolph Edward Plaza, First District Rep. Alfel Bascug, Gov. Santiago Cane, Jr. and Vice Gov. Samuel Tortor.
For vice president, the local NUP bats for Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
“It’s a collegial decision, [a] unanimous choice of NUP Agusan del Sur,” Cane told Inquirer.
The decision to support the alternative RoSa — for Robredo-Sara — tandem was announced at the provincial headquarters here by Team Eddiebong. Eddiebong is the nickname of Rep. Plaza.
In 2016, Agusan del Sur voted for Mar Roxas for president and Leni Robredo for vice president.
Youth groups here are united behind Robredo but not her running mate, Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
On Saturday, the Youth for Leni-Kiko gave away pink ice cream in front of a bus terminal while the Youth for RoSa gave away arroz caldo and boiled eggs.
Emmanuel Galarse, general manager of the Agusan del Sur Electric Cooperative (Aselco), said the cooperative that campaigned for the reelection of Ako Padayon Pilipino (APP) party would support the RoSa tandem.
He said, however, that the APP’s RoSa movement had given each electric cooperative freedom to decide which of the two tandems to choose.
“In our case, we choose RoSa,” he said.
He added that the management of Aselco did not donate the expenses for the arroz caldo and boiled eggs, but some employees chipped in for the food.
In November last year, four party-list groups from the so-called “power bloc” in the House of Representatives declared their support for Robredo’s presidential bid after she made a covenant with them that she would oppose moves to privatize electric cooperatives if she would win as president.
The “power bloc” comprises APP, Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, Rural Electric Cooperatives Board of Directors Association (Recoboda), and Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives (Apec).
The group had consistently fought moves in Congress to privatize several electric cooperatives in the country, including the Northern Davao Electric Cooperative (Nordeco), the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (Ileco) I, Ileco II and Ileco III, and the Camarines Sur Electric Cooperative (Casureco) III.
RELATED STORIES
BBM, Leni gain big backers in South, show force in NCR
AKRHO still nonpartisan though some Caraga members back Robredo
Birthday gift: Robredo secures MILF, UBJP endorsement