Treatment of Ninoy monument shows disrespect to Filipinos who died for freedom —Robredo camp

Covering up the monument to slain Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. during the campaign rally of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. in Tarlac is tantamount to showing disrespect to all those who gave their lives for freedom, the camp of Vice President and presidential bet Leni Robredo said on Sunday.

Marcos is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose ouster was precipitated in no small part by Aquino's assassination in 1983. Aquino was the staunchest critic of the Marcos regime, in which thousands of Filipinos were imprisoned, tortured, or killed, and the nation's coffers were plundered.

At Marcos' rally in Tarlac City on Saturday, Aquino's statue was blocked from view by a tent covering that was planted right in front of it.

"We share the widely held concern of many Filipinos regarding this disrespect of a historical figure who literally gave his life for our freedoms," lawyer Ibarra Gutierrez, spokesperson for Robredo, told GMA News Online.

"Respect for history, and for the contributions of those Filipinos who devoted themselves to the betterment of our people and our country, should transcend the political partisanship of the moment," Gutierrez added.

Global rights watchdog Amnesty International has documented an estimate of 70,000 incarcerated individuals, 34,000 torture victims and 3,240 murdered Filipinos by state forces during the Martial Law period.

A Marcos compensation law, enacted in 2013, provides for financial remuneration to survivors. The compensation provided by this law is sourced from the P10 billion of the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family, which was retrieved by the Philippine government from a Swiss bank.

Marcos Jr., 64 and currently leading in presidential polls, is aiming to win back Malacañang, 36 years after his family was ousted from power by the bloodless People Power Revolution led by Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino.

Group switches allegiance

Meanwhile,  a group previously supportive of the 2022 presidential bid of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Monday switched their support to Vice President Leni Robredo.

The Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas Cebu Chapter, a group launched in August 2021 to prod Moreno to run for president, argued that despite their best efforts, Moreno remained a far third in pre-election polls dominated by former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

"Despite our volunteer efforts, we have seen in the national media, validated in almost all surveys, and more importantly felt it on the ground that Isko is still on the distant third spot of all the presidential candidates. Albeit his very good programs and his efficiency in the City of Manila, he remained at the third,” IM Pilipinas Cebu convenor Nick Mazarte said in a statement.

"This is really a very hard decision for us to make as we were at the forefront in propelling the candidacy of Isko Moreno. But we have to stand for what is best for the whole country and to our people. We want to ensure that the country will not be run by an incompetent, unqualified and law-breaking Bongbong Marcos that has no outstanding track record in public service to speak of," he added.

Robredo is second to Marcos in the pre-election polls, although she remains a far second despite drawing mammoth crowds during campaign rallies like that of Marcos.

In addition, Mazarte cited that the step was necessary as their loyalty to the country took precedence over their loyalty to an individual, including Moreno.

“Alam po natin na marami ang babatikos sa amin pero hindi po ito usapin ng pansariling kapakanan dahil mas mahalaga pa rin ang kapakanan ng mayorya,” he said.

(We know we will get flak for this but this is not about personal welfare but the benefit of the greater majority.)

“Hindi po namin papayagan na magbalik ang madilim na pamumuno sa ating bayan, we all know that even President [Rodrigo] Duterte has once said that the frontrunner in the presidential race is a weak leader… kaya kailangan tayo makiisa, magsama-sama para mapigilan ang pamumuno ng isang tulad niyang mahina,” Malazarte added.

(We cannot allow darkness to govern our country. President Duterte himself called the frontrunner a weak leader, so we need to band together to prevent this weak leader from being elected as president.)

Enough time to turn tide

Also on Monday, Aika Robredo, eldest daughter of Vice President Robredo, expressed confidence that her mother could still win the May polls.

With more than a month before the May 9 elections, the eldest daughter of Vice President Leni Robredo is confident that there’s enough time for the tide to turn in her mother’s favor.

“A-game all out na kami lahat,” Aika, who conducted house-to-house visits in Pangasinan, Quezon City, and Bulacan, said during an interview on Christian Esguerra’s “Facts First” program.

"Panawagan din namin to the others volunteers and to the other supporters na samahan kami at damayan kami until the end. Iyon lang din ang makakapagpanalo sa ating lahat. That's why nagiging mas aggressive iyong push namin to do house to house, to talk to people outside our circles dahil tingin ko kung mayroon mang adjustments or kung mayroon mang time to be more aggressive about strategy or about activities, ito iyon,” she added.

(We're calling on all the other volunteers and supporters to join and stay with us until the end. That's the only way we will all win in the end. That's why we've been more aggressive with house-t- house visits, to talk to people outside our circles. My view is that if there are adjustments to be made or if there is a moment to be aggressive with our strategy and activities, this is it.)

 — BM/DVM, GMA News