And then there’s one: Madrigal is lone Aquino bet in Iloilo sortie

Former Senator Jamby Madrigal. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

ILOILO, Philippines –  President Benigno Aquino III went to this province Thursday to campaign for Team PNoy senatorial candidates but only one, former Senator   Maria Ana Consuel “Jamby” Madrigal,  showed up in two separate sorties here.

Aquino, along with Senator Franklin  Drilon, Interior Secretary  Manuel “Mar” Roxas and  Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, first  attended a campaign rally in Passi City before  proceeding to another in  Sta. Barbara.

Madrigal was the only senatorial  bet who showed up even before the President  arrived.

But, “No, the President  doesn’t  mind“ the absence of many  Team PNoy  candidates  in  the sorties, said Drilon, the campaign  manager.

“Do not ascribe any meaning. Huwag na pong bigyan ng meaning yung hindi pagpunta ng iba dahilan po bawat isa, hindi naman po pare-pareho ang standing nila kaya ganun ang nangyayari [Let’s not impute any meaning to the  absence  of other candidates  because  they don’t have the same  standing (in the surveys),”  he told reporters after the sortie in  Sta. Barbara.

The President last week said the candidates have the freedom to campaign on their own so they could maximize  the remaining  days before the May 13 elections.

“Each candidate has  different needs. There are areas where  you are already  strong,  but there are  areas  where you really  have  to work  harder. So of course,  if you are the candidate, you want to maximize the opportunity to get all the votes,”  Aquino told reporters after a sortie in Laguna last Friday.

“So we  give them freedom and we’ve agreed on it from the start that all candidates are free to campaign according to their needs,”  the President added.

Despite the presence of only one candidate in the sorties here this week,  Drilon remained confident  that all 12 senatorial bets of Team PNoy could win in this province.

“Dito sa Region 6, kami po ay naniniwala na malakas ang aming pag-asa na mapanalo namin ang lahat ng kandidato (Here in Region 6, we believe and strongly  hope that  we  can  win all our candidates),”  Drilon added.