Aquino turns the spotlight on Roxas, Robredo in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY — It was a moment for Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo, and President Aquino, their “most important campaigner,” literally took a step back and moved out of the limelight at the Liberal Party-led Daang Matuwid coalition proclamation here on Tuesday night.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer caught a video of President Aquino inconspicuously walking to the rear of the stage of the Freedom Park at the heart of the city while Roxas, Robredo and the administration senatorial candidates waved to the crowd after the political ticket’s traditional raising of hands to show a united front.

While the last of the yellow confetti rained on the candidates and Roxas and Robredo walked to the front of the stage, the President walked to the back.

LP senatorial bet Francis Pangilinan was seen trying to dissuade Mr. Aquino from going to the rear but the President smiled and gestured to Pangilinan, as if telling the latter he was okay.

For a few minutes, President Aquino, wearing the team’s signature yellow shirt, stood behind them, smiling, and watching them with his arms behind his back.

LP stalwart, Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad described President Aquino’s move as “very significant.”

“His role in this campaign is to make sure that his team, on May 9, is going to win. So, he will do everything that is necessary to do (even) if he may humble himself, but he will do it,” Abad told the INQUIRER on the sidelines of the rally.

Certainly, Abad said, President Aquino “is going to be the most important campaigner” for Roxas, Robredo, and the rest of the coalition.

The Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief take on the role as chief campaigner until May 9, Election Day.

“This whole campaign is going to see the President, of course, express his gratitude to the people for what he had been able to do for the past six years. But at the same time, even more important, he is going to tell the people that Daang Matuwid is not going to end with him, that Daang Matuwid is going to continue and the instruments to that are Mar and Leni,” Abad said.

Still, President Aquino appeared to be the star of Tuesday night’s show because the moment he stepped off the stage, leaving behind the administration candidates, the crowd thinned.

In planning the campaign, is there a conscious effort that President Aquino must not overshadow Roxas and Robredo, or vice-versa?

Abad described President Aquino and Roxas as “humble and modest people who know very well how to balance this thing as you go along.”

The core campaign team of the administration coalition meets every week with President Aquino “when his time permits,” according to Abad.

With the President, the team assesses the campaign and major policy decisions are reviewed.

“He has wisdom after campaigning for so many elections already, about how to run a national campaign, and therefore he certainly shares his own wisdom and experience in making sure that every day the campaign gets better and better,” Abad added.

Abad described the administration team’s campaign as “very organized,” with the focus on the campaign’s central message.

“We are not campaigning for individuals here. We are campaigning on a vision, on an idea that has worked for the past six years and therefore we will continue to campaign for that. And the vehicle for doing that is the theme Daang Matuwid headed by Mar and Leni,” Abad said.

As a campaign strategist, President Aquino “is very particular about being focused and discipline on message,” Abad said.

The central message of the administration coalition is reviewed several times.

“This is to ensure that, number one, the achievements of Daang Matuwid both in terms of value-laden achievements and very specific services are explained to the people. Number two, we emphasize that if we make a mistake, it is going to be a huge reversal for which we may not be able to recover from. And number three, the best is still yet to come, and the second stage of Daang Matuwid is really going to go on the shoulders of Mar and Leni. And the message is repeated all over the country,” Abad said.

The President will take “every opportunity” to campaign for Roxas and Robredo while he remains on top of governance, according to the budget secretary.

“He has really been itching to (campaign),” Abad said.

On Tuesday in the Panay Islands, President Aquino had his own schedule separate from the campaign. He inaugurated road networks and school buildings, among others, in Capiz City and Iloilo, described by Malacañang as “governance activities.”

On Friday, President Aquino is set to join the administration coalition’s campaign in Naga City, Robredo’s bailiwick.

The President leaves on Sunday for the US-Asean Summit to be held in Sunnylands, California, on Feb. 15 and 16.

Abad said President Aquino could ably balance governing and campaigning because “government is running well.”

“His Cabinet Secretaries are continually running their respective departments. Really, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to devote more time, as we approach May 9, to be more and more present in the campaign,” Abad said, adding:

“As you will notice, it is a very tight race and I think, in the end, his presence and his support will make a big difference in the victory of Mar and Leni.”  SFM

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