Isko on huge turnout at rivals' rallies: Our supporters are organic

Presidential candidate and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Sunday said he remains calm despite his rivals touting large turnouts at their grand rallies, stressing that his supporters are “organic.”

Moreno pointed out that the rallies he conducted the past weeks gathered “real supporters” as he believed that the “silent minority” will ultimately be the game-changer in his bid for the presidency.

The mayor noted that the preferred mode of “retail” style of campaigning in town halls and out-of-the-way places may be tedious, but it fosters intimacy and unity more than the large but staged rallies like what other candidates are doing.

“Kasi ayoko ng ‘motor-paid.’ Magastos ang ‘motor-paid. Di ba, I mean, bakit ko naman babaliwin ang sarili ko ng 40,000 na tao pero binayaran ko naman sila ng tig-lilimang daan just to rah-rah,” Moreno said in previous interviews.

(Because I don’t like ‘motor-paid.’ ‘Motor-paid’ is expensive. Isn't it, I mean, why would I drive myself crazy with 40,000 people but I paid them P500 each just to rah-rah.)

Lito Banayo, Moreno’s campaign manager, said that the ground reception for the Manila mayor is far different from what poll surveys say, and quite different from what his rivals might imply through their “very large rallies.”

“I think many of you have covered our field sorties. And you’ve seen the warmth. These are organic. We do not bring people to our rallies. In fact, we do not have big rallies, for that matter because we don’t consider that to be cost-effective,” Banayo told reports in Angono, Rizal.

“I mean, it costs a lot of money but the correlation between voting and presence in campaign rallies where you have bigtime entertainers does not correlate on a one-on-one basis,” he added.

Banayo further emphasized, “These were spontaneous crowds who were excited to see the charismatic and very accommodating Mayor Isko. It’s all organic, no hakot crowd.”

During his rally in Bohol, Moreno acknowledged the resilience of Boholanons who, like him, triumphed through all the hardships that fate had thrown their way.

“Bilib na bilib ako sa inyo. Congratulations Bohol. Kayo, giniba ng lindol, natumba, tumayo. Kayo, pinadapa ng bagyo, natumba tumayo. Ngayon, ang lahat ng kabataan ng Bohol nakatayo. Ganiyan kagaling ang mga Boholano,” he added.

(I am always impressed with you. Congratulations Bohol. You, destroyed by the earthquake, fell down, stood up. You, tossed about by the storm, fell down and stood up. Today, all the youth of Bohol are standing. That's how good the Boholanos are.)

Moreno's camp said 20,000 Cebuanos braved the rains brought about by Tropical Depression Agaton on April 8 to show their full love and support for him in a grand rally in Toledo City.

“Kaya malakas ang aking loob dito sa Cebu. Pangalawang araw ko dito sa Cebu. Anim na beses na ako sa Cebu. Patuloy tayong manliligaw sa mga Cebuano. Sa mga Cebuano, sana sagutin niyo ako. Kaya kung tutulungan niyo ako, sana magkatotoo na pag nabasa tayo ng ulan, dadami tayo,” shouted Moreno through the din of the rain and the cheering crowd.

(So, I am very brave here in Cebu. It's my second day here in Cebu. I have been to Cebu six times. We will continue to love Cebuanos. To the Cebuanos, please answer me. Because if you help me, I hope it will come true that when we get wet in the rain, we will multiply.)

Moreover, Moreno's camp said similarly large crowds were seen in his campaign sorties in Tagbiliran City, Butuan City, Northern Mindanao, and Rizal Park in Manila. —Mel Matthew Doctor/KG, GMA News