Ping Lacsons’s party Reporma shifts support to Leni Robredo

DAVAO TWIST Former Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez welcomes Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday to his province with an endorsement of her presidential candidacy after his party, Partido Reporma, withdrew backing for its standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. VP Leni Media Bureau

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte — Vice President Leni Robredo’s first foray into President Rodrigo Duterte’s bailiwick of Davao region on Thursday was greeted with an endorsement of her presidential candidacy from Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, who withdrew his party’s support for its standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

“We need a leader,” said the former Speaker and Partido Reporma president. “And for the 2022 presidential elections … that leader is a woman. Her name is Leni Robredo.”

During his first appearance with the Vice President since the start of the election campaign, the former staunch ally of Mr. Duterte apologized to Robredo for verbally attacking her in the past, once calling her “shameless” for criticizing the President’s brutal war on drugs.

“I admit that I criticized the Vice President and uttered harsh words against her. For that, I apologize, Ma’am,” Alvarez told Robredo, who sat next to him during a press briefing at the provincial capitol here.

READ: ‘Sorry, Ma’am’: Alvarez apologizes to Robredo for past criticisms

“There’s really nothing that I don’t like about [her],” he said. “During my time when I was the Speaker, I just did everything to defend our President. That’s really how I am. I defend my friends. I really take bullets [for them].” Robredo said she was thankful to Alvarez and his party.

“First of all, Speaker, you do not need to apologize,” Robredo told Alvarez. “Over the course of our service to the country, there will really be disagreements. Even political allies do not agree with each other all the time.”

Robredo noted that she lost “miserably” in Davao del Norte in the 2016 vice presidential polls, getting only 42,684 votes against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who received 130,796 votes, and former Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who won in the province with 216,058 votes.

This time, Alvarez said the entire Reporma leadership and machinery in Mindanao would be supporting Robredo’s campaign.

READ: Why Robredo? Alvarez said he wants to continue his fight vs Marcos dictatorship

Gov. Edwin Jubahib, Reporma secretary general, and former Liquified Petroleum Gas Marketers’ Association Rep. Arnel Ty, the party treasurer, also endorsed the Vice President.

“We chose the leader who will help us realize the aspirations of the Filipino people,” Jubahib said.

Lacson resigns

Shortly before Reporma publicly declared support for Robredo, Lacson announced he was resigning as chair of the party, which had adopted him for the 2022 national elections, and that he would pursue his presidential bid as an independent candidate.

He told reporters in General Santos City that he had sensed the withdrawal of Reporma’s support for him more than a month earlier.

“In the face of these recent developments, allow me to say, like a true-blooded warrior that I am all my life, I will continue this pursuit of my quest to serve my country and our people, as your Chief Executive—if God and the Filipino people will it, come May 9, 2022,” he said, reading a prepared statement.

READ: Alvarez won’t push Lacson to backout from race: Let him decide

Lacson said he was informed on Wednesday by Alvarez about the party’s decision to endorse “another presidential candidate.”

“Even before, I knew it would come to this, so I was already preparing myself. I have also prepared my supporters,” Lacson said.

Sotto surprised

He said he harbored “no ill feelings” toward Alvarez and other party leaders and members.

Lacson’s running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who heads the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said he was surprised by the announcement, but assured Lacson that he was sticking with him.

“Nothing will change,” Sotto said. Lacson replied: “Thank you, partner.”

‘Le-Ti’

Robredo, who was accompanied by her campaign manager, former Sen. Bam Aquino, said that with the fresh endorsements from Reporma and its leaders, her volunteers in the region would be more inspired to campaign for her and her running mate, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

Alvarez said his party would “vigorously campaign” for “Le-Ti,” or the Leni-Tito tandem.

But Robredo said that Pangilinan was her “only” choice for running mate.

“From the very start, until now and until the very end, Kiko Pangilinan is my vice president,” she said.

READ: Alvarez’s endorsement a big boost to campaign in admin-dominated Davao region — Robredo

She was confident that Reporma’s decision would snowball and encourage other local politicians to support her team.

“This is really a major headway,” Robredo said. “This is a big boost to our campaign, that we’re getting the support in this part of Davao. But the effect of this will not just be felt here.”

Alvarez admitted that Lacson’s poor showing in all the surveys was a major reason for his party’s shift to Robredo.

Race down to 2

The race to Malacañang, he said, was now another contest between Robredo and Marcos.

While Robredo still lags behind the son of the ousted dictator in the surveys, Alvarez said her campaign “has gained, and continues to gain, significant traction.”

“There is much potential there. She has also shown that she represents ideals which are substantially in line with the aims of Partido Reporma: To reform government and provide a better future for Filipinos,” Alvarez said.

In the midterm elections in 2019, Reporma routed its rivals from Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP) in Davao del Norte. HnP is led by the President’s daughter, Sara Duterte, Marcos’ running mate who engineered the unseating of Alvarez as Speaker.

Reporma is expected to continue its grip on the province while also standing a good chance of expanding into neighboring Davao de Oro.

Bencyrus Ellorin, Mindanao convener of Leni Tanging Pag-asa 2022, said Reporma’s endorsement showed that the Vice President “is the unifying leader.”

“What we are witnessing today and in the coming days is testament of truth winning over false narratives,” Ellorin said.

‘Gaining traction’

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, another supporter of the Vice President, told reporters on Monday that Robredo’s campaign “has momentum and is gaining traction, more and more.” “She has very high conversion rate [and] more engagement,” he added.

READ: ‘ROSA’ campaign launched in Cagayan de Oro

Salceda said one pathway to her victory was regaining the support of Mindanao where she won by close to 600,000 votes over Marcos in 2016.

But the most important element would be more withdrawals from other presidential candidates, he said.

“There’s enough runway for the plane to take off and reach its altitude. We have space and we have time,” according to Salceda. But he added that Robredo’s numbers should have surged much higher by April 15 or her candidacy would no longer be viable. —WITH REPORTS FROM MELVIN GASCON, CARMELITO Q. FRANCISCO, RYAN D. ROSAURO AND ELDIE AGUIRRE