Marcos asks for 12-0 vote for admin slate in Leni country

PILI, Camarines Sur— President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday asked voters from the bailiwick of his 2022 presidential race rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo, to vote straight for the administration’s senatorial slate in Eleksyon 2025. 

“Pagdating po sa Mayo at kayo ay pupunta na at boboto, ‘wag na kayong magdalawang isip tingnan niyo po ‘yung Alyansa [Para sa Bagong Pilipinas candidates], 12-0 i-shade niyo na kaagad para sa Alyansa,” Marcos said as he led the first and last Alyansa campaign rally in Bicol Region. 

In wooing Bicolanos, Marcos said more benefits from the national government will be felt in the region should his “dream team” wins in the midterm polls. 

“Madaling sabihing de kalidad po ang ating mga kandidato. Eh pag pinagsama mo eh halos ito na ‘yung dream team na tatawagin. Para sa politika, ito na ‘yung dream team para sa Senado,” the President said. 

Marcos also highlighted the unity of his candidates despite coming from different political parties. 

“Kung titingnan niyo po, kami ay iba-iba po ang aming suot dahil po iba-iba po ang pinanggalingan namin na mga political party. Kaya natawag po kaming alyansa…Lahat po tayo ay may sariling pananaw sa mga sitwasyon sa ating minamahal na Pilipinas, lahat sa atin may sariling pananaw kung ano ang mga solusyon para sa Pilipinas,” he said. 

“Ngunit tayong lahat, bawat Pilipinong nagmamahal sa kanyang kapwa Pilipino, pare-pareho ang iniisip. Kailangan nating tulungan at pagandhin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino. Kailangan nating pagandahin ang Pilipinas,” he added.

In a press conference before the campaign rally, senatorial bet and ACT CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo highlighted the need to help Filipinos regardless of political color.

“Do not look at the political color of that area because kapag tiningnan mo kasi dilawan ‘yan, pinklawan ‘yan, yari ka. Huwag nating tulungan ‘yan kasi kay ganito ‘yan, kay gano’n. No, all the more that you have to help to show them na Pilipino ito, what’s the difference? Bicolanos are Filipinos too,” Tulfo said. 

He then shared that during his stint as the head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) he welcomed former Vice President Leni Robredo in his office in August 2022 or barely three months after the 2022 presidential elections for its collaboration with the Robredo-led Angat Buhay organization for the distribution of aid. 

“It is what it is, kaya nga when I was DSWD secretary, VP Leni wen to my office na-bash ako but I said pina-explain ko pa ang pangulo and the president said, ‘You did the right thing. Tama, tulungan mo yung mga taong yun,’” Tulfo shared. 

Should he win in the 2025 senatorial race, Tulfo said he will make sure that every province, regardless of political inclination, will get a fair share of the government’s projects. 

“Because we have one [and] the same color, it’s not red, it’s not green, it’s not yellow, it’s not pink. We are all brown, hindi po ba? Kapag nakaupo ho kami we will make sure lahat po ‘yan ka-alyado ka man o hindi dapat mabigyan ng pondo dahil ‘yongpondo na ‘yan hindi para sa opisyal na ‘yon kundi para sa mga tao,” he added.

For his part, senatorial candidate and former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos emphasized respecting each other’s political beliefs, adding that Bicolanos should look at their platforms and programs. 

“Kung may isang bagay na nakikita kong importanteay ang word respect. We respect each other’s opinion on certain things. And sa nangyayari ngayon it’s literally issues, iba yung issues noon, iba yung issues ngayon… And I do hope, na lahat po hindi lang po dito sa Bicol, sa buong Pilipinas ito po ay nasusuri nang maigi. So, in that sense I’m very confident that people would appreciate our platforms and our programs,” Abalos said. 

Meanwhile, reelectionist Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. visited the tomb of late former Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, the husband of former Vice President Leni, before the campaign sortie in Pili, Camarines Sur. 

During the 2022 presidential elections, Robredo won in Pili, Camarines Sur with 42,064 votes as against Marcos’ 6,187 votes. 

In the whole province of Camarines Sur, Robredo got 958,905 votes while Marcos got 102,921 votes. —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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