CEBU CITY – All in the same day, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and Senator Grace Poe visited the vote-rich Cebu Province on Monday.
Binay, who had openly declared his intention to run for president in 2016 against Liberal Party’s standard-bearer Roxas, went around barangays (villages) in Toledo and Talisay Cities in Cebu while Poe, who has been eyed by the LP as Roxas’ running mate, gave a speech at University of San Carlos in Cebu City.
Coincidentally, Roxas also had scheduled events at the Cebu Normal University for the “Daang Matuwid People’s Dialogue” and at the Cebu Coliseum for “A Gathering of Friends” organized by the ruling party and attended by President Benigno Aquino III.
Roxas was joined in the dialogue participated by multi-sectoral groups by presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, Health Secretary Janette Garin and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino.
But Roxas took pride in the energy and enthusiasm shown by thousands of his Cebuano supporters who were all clad in yellow–the LP’s campaign color.
“Sa totoo lang di ko iniisip yung kilos ng iba pa,” Roxas told reporters after the Cebu Coliseum assembly, an apparent show of force of the ruling party, on Monday afternoon.
“Iyan naman po ang inaasahan na maging contagion–na itong pananalig sa Daang Matuwid (straight path), pagtatrabaho sa Daang Matuwid, ay kumalat at dumami ang ating mga kakampi,” he said.
The outgoing Interior and Local Government Secretary said the LP events have long been planned and were not deliberately scheduled at the same day with Poe and Binay’s visit.