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.