Team PNoy’s meeting de avance in Amoranto Quezon City. Maila Ager/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—All 12 senatorial candidates of Team PNoy were full force at a miting de avance Friday at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City, their last hurrah before the midterm elections on Monday.
The first and last time that the entire Senate ticket of the administration team was seen together was during the proclamation rally held in Quiapo, Manila last February 12, 2013.
The 12 senatorial bets present in the miting de avance were re-electionist Senators Loren Legarda, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III; former Senators Ramon” Jun” Magsaysay and Jamby Madrigal; Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar, former Akbayan Representative Risa Hontiveros, former MTRCB chairperson Grace Poe, and Bam Aquino, cousin of President Benigno Aquino.
TV host Willie Revillame and comedian “Chocolait” came to endorse Villar and Hontiveros, respectively.
He might not have brought with him a celebrity endorser but Escudero again mentioned about the state of his heart even without mentioning the name of his girlfriend, actress Heart Evangelista.
Escudero said he was called so many names, accused of many things, but the only thing he said he would admit was that he was in love.
“Sa lahat ng paratang nila, isa lang ang aaminin ko; In love ako (For all the accusations they make, I’d only admit one thing: I’m in love),” he said.
Just like in past sorties, Pimentel sang his own version of “Imagine,” where some lyrics of the song were modified to reflect his continued fight against electoral fraud. He filed an electoral protest when he first ran for the Senate in 2007.
Cayetano, who has been linked into the smear campaign against Legarda, thanked all his fellow candidates, saying they have remained united.
He also thanked the campaign manager of Team PNoy, Senator Franklin Drilon, whom he described as the next Senate president.
And when it was her turn to speak, Legarda talked about the black propaganda being waged against her but said she was willing to forgive and move forward.
“Whatever the problem was, let’s learn to forgive and move forward,” she said.
Legarda then endorsed all Team PNoy bets and called each name one by one, including Cayetano.
Originally posted at 5:15 p.m.