KEEP CALM AND WAIT A confident Leni Robredo asks supporters to keep calm and wait for the official election results. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON
Even before the election day, administration vice presidential candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo’s rating in preference surveys had improved, proving that it would not be impossible for her to overtake her closest rival Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the actual elections, Robredo’s camp reiterated on Wednesday.
In a press briefing hours after Marcos’ lawyer spoke to the media, Georgina Hernandez-Yang, Robredo’s spokesperson, said they respect the statement of losing presidential candidate Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago backing her running mate Marcos on his accusation of rigging the unofficial count from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
READ: Miriam accuses gov’t of cheating Bongbong
“Iginagalang po natin ang pahayag ni Senator Miriam ngunit kung titignan, noong Abril pa lang ay unti-unti nang tumataas ang rating ni Cong. Leni sa iba’t ibang mga survey,” Yang said.
(We respect Senator Miriam’s statement but if we would look at it, since April, Cong. Leni’s ratings in different surveys started to rise.)
And to say that Robredo’s camp is manipulating the election results is a “big insult” to the efforts of the supporters and volunteers who helped the Camarines Sur lawmaker in her campaign.
“Ang pagtaas na ito ay bunga ng hirap at pawis ng mga taga suporta at volunteers ni Cong. Leni kaya para sabihin na ito ay minanipula lang ay malaking insulto sa kanilang pagsisikap,” she said.
(This rise resulted from the efforts of supporters and volunteers of Cong. Leni so to say that the election results are manipulated is a big insult to them.)
Santiago earlier called the “authoritarian” administration can “manufacture” the numbers against Marcos as needed.
READ: Miriam defends Bongbong, accuses gov’t of ‘manufacturing’ numbers
The feisty senator said it was “astounding” that her running mate led in the vice presidential surveys for several months when suddenly the administration “jumped up” the survey results of Robredo to overtake Marcos.
Robredo, in previous media interviews, has repeatedly denied that her camp and the Liberal Party engaged in electoral cheating to ensure her victory over Marcos.
As of press time, Robredo is enjoying over 230,000 votes lead against Marcos. RAM