Sen. Francis Escudero. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—A lively political rally with short political spiels and a huge crowd bouncing to music from a pop rock band so impressed Kris Aquino she said this should be the way to go in the 2016 campaign for her friend, Senator Francis Escudero, if he decides to make a bid for the presidency then.
Aquino was in this city to endorse administration senatorial candidates Escudero and Grace Poe as well as Tacloban City mayoral candidate An-Waray Representative Bem Noel and his local ticket.
“I told Chiz that in 2016, if he runs for President, this should be the way to campaign,” Aquino said after asking the band to play another upbeat song she and the candidates could dance to.
Escudero tried to downplay Aquino’s remarks, saying her endorsement of his candidacy was only for the senatorial elections in May.
“I was flattered by what she said in the heat of the moment in the rally but, no, it was not an endorsement,” Escudero told the Inquirer later. “She herself had earlier said that 2016 was too far and that she was focused——the same with me—only on the 2013 elections.”
Escudero said that the remark of the President’s kid sister could encourage more black propaganda against him as the campaign period draws to a close.
Aquino joined Escudero and Poe for two straight days to push their candidacies in a campaign swing that took them to General Santos City and Davao City on Thursday and Cebu City and Tacloban City on Friday.
Aquino made sure that the more than 20,000 people on the stands and on the field at the Tacloban stadium knew that Noel was a close ally of President Benigno Aquino’s.
“Game over na ang kalaban, Bem,” Aquino declared.
Noel is running against incumbent Mayor Alfredo Romualdez, a nephew of former first lady Imelda Marcos.
Aquino said no less than President Aquino sent word through text messaging that she should let the people of Tacloban know that Noel was a loyal ally of the Aquino administration. She added that one call from Noel to President Aquino in behalf of the city would mean immediate attention from the national leadership.
Aquino told the crowd that the President himself would be in Tacloban next week to personally endorse Noel.
“So Bem, I hope you will not let P-Noy down because I know that you were among the first to stand up and cast their lot behind him,” Aquino said.
Aquino said that the whole Western Visayas—the country’s third poorest region according to the National Statistical Coordination Board—should benefit from Noel as mayor of Tacloban.
“Region Eight has long been a laggard in terms of development. If you’re already the mayor of Tacloban City, you should pull up the entire Region 8,” Aquino said.