VP bet David endorses Robredo-Sotto tandem for Eleksyon 2022

Vice presidential candidate Rizalito David on Friday endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo for president in the May 9 elections.

"Tahasan kong ini-endorso, with respect to my ka-tandem na si Dr. [Jose] Montemayor, na si Leni Robredo ay ating tulungan," David said during the PiliPinas forum by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP).

(I explicitly endorse, with respect to my running-mate Dr. Jose Montemayor, let's help Leni Robredo.)

Aside from Robredo, David also threw his support behind Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who is running for vice president in the May 9 elections.

"Diretso kong ini-endorso, tulungan natin si Leni Robredo at si Tito Sotto [I am endorsing them directly, let's help Leni Robredo and Tito Sotto]," he said.

David earlier said Sotto, the running-mate of Senator Panfilo Lacson, is the "best man for the job," referring to the vice presidency.

David, during the Comelec-KBP forum, said aside from embodying Christian values, Robredo is the candidate who has a chance to defeat former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the frontrunner in various pre-election presidential surveys.

"Kung si Robredo ang maaaring makatalo sa kanila, siya ay ating tulungan [If Robredo is the one who can beat them, then let's help her]," David said.

Montemayor

While he did not immediately react to David's endorsement of Robredo and Sotto, Montemayor urged voters not to vote for candidates based on popularity.

"We live in an abnormal time, critical time, we are still in the pandemic. Huwag tayong pipili ng sikat lang at malakas sa social media [Let us not choose someone just because he or she is popular on social media]," he said.

He urged the public to pray before picking a certain candidate.

"Bago kayo magkaniya-kaniyang kandidato [Before you choose your candidate], pray for our nation. The nation will suffer if you will commit a mistake with your choice. I may not be specifically pitching for myself, but you have to pitch for the nation," Montemayor said. —KBK, GMA News