Team PNoy senatorial candidates to campaign in Cebu Tuesday

CEBU CITY, Philippines—Team PNoy senatorial candidates will have their turn in campaigning in Cebu on Tuesday, to try to win the support of the 2.5 million Cebuano voters.

The Liberal Party-led coalition will be holding two rallies, one in Talisay City, which is right next to Cebu City in the south and another one in Liloan town, 19 kilometers north of Cebu City.

However, Hilario Davide III, LP Cebu chairman, said their rally would not be as big as the Feb. 12 Cebu proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), which gathered a crowd of about 25,000 people.

“We will not be transporting people. We expect people to go there voluntarily to listen,” Davide said in an interview Monday.

He added that the LP would not be mobilizing government resources in their campaign because “we are very conscious of Comelec regulations.”

Davide said the first rally scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Tuesday would be held at a one-hectare lot located across the Talisay City Hall along the South Coastal Road. LP Manila has rented the privately owned lot from its owner. President Aquino will be at the rally venue at 6:30 p.m.

Davide said that as of Monday morning, they received word that senatorial candidates Sonny Angara and Loren Legarda would not be able to attend the rally and would be sending representatives.

On Wednesday, LP senatorial candidates will be at the sports complex in Barangay (village) Tayud, Liloan.  But the President would no longer be available for the said gathering, Davide added.

In an interview on Saturday, senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar said that they would be visiting Dumaguete City before they head for Cebu province for their two-day campaign schedule here, after which they would proceed to Iloilo City.

“Cebu is one of the biggest and thickly populated areas so it’s important to us,” she said.

Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV expressed confidence that Cebuanos would also listen to LP senatorial candidates.

He said on Saturday that while the pre-campaign period was a fight for jingles and campaign ads for name recall, the game has already shifted to a contest of campaign platforms and qualifications during the campaign period.

The LP senatorial candidates were also scheduled to hold a rally in Bacolod City on Friday, said Senator Franklin Drilon, the LP campaign manager.

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has agreed that the LP hold a rally in Bacolod City, Drilon said.

The Nationalist People’s Coalition, of which Leonardia is a member, is a coalition partner of the Liberal Party-led Team PNoy.

However, Drilon said President Aquino would not be joining the rally on Friday but the bulk of Team PNoy bets are expected to arrive.

Team PNoy is composed of Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara (LDP), Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV (LP), Alan Peter Cayetano (NP), Francis Escudero (Independent), Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel (Akbayan), Loren Legarda (NPC), Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal-Valade (LP), Ramon Magsaysay Jr. (LP), Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III (PDP-Laban), Grace Poe (Independent), Antonio Trillanes IV (NP), and Cynthia Villar (NP).