Ilocos Sur Rep. Singson attempts to rally ‘Solid North’ for Poe

VIGAN, Ilocos Sur - With 13 days to go before the May 9 elections, Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson is working on gathering the so-called "Solid North" forces for Senator Grace Poe.

The "Solid North" is composed of provinces in the Ilocos Region (Region 1), Cagayan Valley Region (Region 2), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

According to data from the Commission on Elections, there are more than 5.7 million registered voters in the three regions.

"Hopefully, ‘yon po ang inaayos namin dahil involved na rin po naman ako sa kampanya ni Senator Grace Poe," said Singson during  Poe's visit to the region

He however could not say if Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos was onboard with pro-Poe forces in northern Luzon.

"Kung ‘yon ang mangyari malaking bagay na po ‘yon," Singson admitted.

Marcos herself was tight-lipped on the presidential candidate she would endorse. "Ewan ko," she laughingly said during a separate interview.

The governor's brother, vice-presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., is the running mate of Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

Nevertheless, Singson said all his allies in Ilocos Sur's first district had already pledged their support for Poe, who was on a whirlwind visit to Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur on Tuesday.

She stopped by the windmill farm in Burgos, and spoke to supporters in Vigan, before traveling to Isabela and Manila for more engagements.

For his part, Poe's spokesperson Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian was optimistic that the senator would be able to improve on her support base in the region in the run up to elections.

"There's still two weeks left. In a campaign, every single day matters. Every single day counts. The important thing is you keep focused on your own campaign, you make sure you keep on checking the list of what needs to be done-- consolidating ground support, harping on your message," Gatchalian explained.

Poe has dropped to second place behind Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in recent pre-election surveys, with the latest Pulse Asia poll giving her a voter preference rating of 23 percent compared to Duterte's 35 percent. — DVM, GMA News