Roxas downplays Cebu pols’ support for rivals: Cebuanos are on my side

LAPU LAPU CITY, Cebu—It doesn’t matter whether the political families of the vote-rich Cebu province are supporting Mar Roxas or not. At least he’s sure Cebuano voters will back him up.

This was how Roxas addressed the issue of large political clans in Cebu, which has a potential 2.5 million voters, throwing their support for his toughest rivals in the presidential race—Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe.

“Alam niyo, ‘yung mga malalaking pamilya, ibigay mo na sa kanila. Ako, kakampi ko ang mamamayang Pilipino,” he told reporters after his visit in a shipbuilding company based in Mactan Economic Zone on Thursday.

In the 2010 elections when Roxas ran for Vice President, he got almost a million votes in Cebu Province while around 300,000 voters chose Binay.

But Roxas maintained that he will not become complacent despite his landslide victory in the province in the 2010 elections.

“Hindi naman tama na mag-kumpiyansa tayo, pero nananalig ako, nagtitiwala ako na ang ating mga kababayan dito, alam nila, alam nila ‘yung pagkakaiba ng mga kandidato. Alam nila, gusto nila dito, malinis, tapat, hindi magnanakaw na pamumuno. So nananalig ako, nagtitiwala ako sa ating mga kababayan dito,” he said.

One of the staunchest stalwart of the ruling party in Cebu is its governor Hilario Davide III. But other key leaders of the province are supporting different presidential candidates.

Cebu district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia is allied with Vice President Jejomar Binay as well as One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia.

Another Cebu district Representative Ace Durano, meanwhile, is backing Senator Grace Poe with the Barug Alang sa Kauswagan ug Demokrasya (Bakud) Party candidates. Durano is also the campaign manager of Poe.

Roxas and his running mate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo are in Cebu to attend several campaign rallies with other candidates under the “Daang Matuwid” coalition.

Later in the evening, President Aquino will join the LP candidates for a grand rally at the Mandaue Sports Complex where 6,000 supporters are expected to attend.