BATANGAS CITY—As if reviving his “Mr. Palengke” image, administration presidential bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II visited a public market to touch base with his supporters in Batangas City on Wednesday morning.
Accompanied by his running mate Leni Robredo, Roxas went from one stall to another to greet vendors at Julian Pastor Memorial Market in Barangay (village) Cuta.
Roxas lost to Batangas native Vice President Jejomar Binay in this province during the 2010 vice presidential elections. But the incumbent Batangas governor, actress Vilma Santos, is a member of the Liberal Party and is backing Roxas and Robredo. She was earlier rumored to be one of the choices to become Roxas’ running mate.
READ: Roxas open to running with Vilma Santos in 2016
“Ay, si Mr. Palengke (Look, it’s Mr. Palengke)!” said the screaming supporters upon seeing Roxas arrive in the market, his party’s first stop in their Batangas campaign.
As Mr. Palengke, Roxas handily topped the 2004 Senate polls.
READ: As 2016 nears, Mar Roxas resurrecting ‘Mr. Palengke’
Some of the market vendors briefly stopped selling and left their stalls to see or get close to Roxas.
Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas interacts with a market vendor in Batangas. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
One of them, a 60-year-old man, joked: “Oh, ‘yung mga paninda niyo baka nawawala na kakahalik niyo kay Mar (Mind your items, they might be stolen already while you are busy kissing Mar)!”
Roxas shook hands with a middle-aged woman wearing a green top. The woman shyly said: “Sorry, naka-green ako. Pero maka-yellow din ako (I might be wearing green, but I am really for yellow)!”
Yellow is Liberal Party’s official color.
A woman selling fish was surprised to see Roxas and told the presidential aspirant: “Ay, napakatangkad mo pala (I did not know you were that tall)!” eliciting laughter from Roxas, who said, “Ay, hindi naman po masyado; Hindi pwede maging (basketball) player (Not really; I cannot be a basketball player).”
After campaigning at the market, Roxas and Robredo proceeded to the Batangas City Sports Coliseum to join thousands of supporters in celebrating Women’s month.
Liberal Party bets Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo interact with market vendors in Batangas. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS/INQUIRER.net
They will then have a dialogue with fisherfolks at Sitio Ilaya in Barangay Sta. Clara. Roxas and Robredo will present to them their plans to improve the livelihood of fishermen here.
At noon, Roxas and Robredo, joined by the senatorial bets of LP, will meet about 2,000 multi-sectoral leaders and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) at the Tanauan Institute in Tanauan City, Batangas. IDL