THE CAMP of Congresswoman and Vice-Presidential candidate Leni Robredo held a Multi-Sectoral Thanksgiving Mass at the Church of Gesu on May 15 for a “successful and peaceful elections and the call to unite and move forward.”
The Thanksgiving Mass was presided over by Fr. Manoling Francisco, SJ, Robredo’s spiritual adviser. Also in attendance were daughters Aika, Tricia, and Jillian Robredo and senator-elect Risa Hontiveros.
At the end of the Mass, attendees were told to gather at Cervini Field to hear Robredo’s announcement.
Robredo camp claims victory
According to Robredo Policy Unit Head Boyet Dy, the data taken from Comelec show an unmistakable victory for Leni Robredo.
Dy said that of the 18 regions of the Philippines, Robredo held the lead in 10 regions, compared to closest rival Bongbong Marcos’ 7 regions.
Moreover, Dy said that 233,226 votes. These votes come from 9 remaining municipalities, equaling 168,988 votes, as well as 64,238 registered detainee voters.
Dy said that these remaining municipalities are located in bailiwicks of Robredo, which might possibly predict the municipalities’ results favoring Robredo.
Dy said that despite this, Leni’s current lead of 257,567 is enough to offset the remaining unaccounted voters, and assure Robredo of a VP win.
“Ayon sa kasalukuyang tala, kahit ibigay pa natin ang lahat ng natitirang boto kay Sen. Marcos, lamang pa rin si Cong. Leni Robredo ng 24,341 (According to the current numbers, even if we give all the remaining votes to Sen. Marcos, Robredo will still win by 24,341 votes.)” he said.
“Kaya malinaw na po, hindi na makakayaning habulin pa ni Sen. Marcos ang lamang ni Cong. Robredo. At hinding-hindi po nagsisinungaling ang mga numero.(The votes do not lie. It is clear that Sen. Marcos will not be able to surpass the votes for Cong. Robredo),” Dy said.
“Dahil po rito, buong-buo ang ating mga loob at galak sa matagal na nating pinakahihintay nating balita. Sa ngayon, wala nang makakapigil kay Leni Robredo. (Because of this, we can finally say without a doubt what we’ve been hoping for. Nothing can stop Leni Robredo from the vice-presidency.),” Dy added.
Leni campaign parallels husband’s
During the program, Robredo talked about her experiences campaigning nationally for the vice-presidency.
“Yung umpisa ng asawa ko sa pulitika parang yung umpisa ko din sa pulitika– nag-umpisa sa wala. (My entry in the national elections is the same as my husband’s first foray into politics– we both came from nothing),” Robredo said.
Robredo recounted the couple’s experiences in local politics. “Hindi pa siya kilala nung nagdesisyon siya kumandidato bilang mayor. Nung umpisa kami, ako lang ata yung naniniwala sa kanya. (My husband was not well-known when he decided to run for mayor. I was his only supporter when we started.),” she said.
Robredo said that her first few months as the vice-presidential candidate of the Liberal Party was similar to her husband’s. “Nung first survey na lumabas nung ako ay nag-announce, yung awareness rating ko was only 54%. Sabi nila kung ganun yung awareness mo, kahit senador, wag ka na mag-ambisyon. (When the first survey came out, my awareness rating was at 54%. They told me not to even hope to win a Senate seat),” she said.
“Pero dahil doon, talagang sinipagan. Siguro kaya ako yung pinakamaraming napuntahan, dahil alam ko na yung chances ko talaga ay napaka-slim. (Because of this, I really worked hard. Maybe the reason why I travelled to the most places of all the candidates was that I knew my chances were slim.),” she said.
In the end, Robredo attributed her success to her supporters who aided her throughout her campaign.
“Hindi tayo makakarating sa puntong ito kung hindi kayo tumaya early on sa akin. Ito talaga ang tunay na people’s campaign. (We would not have been here if it were not for everyone’s support for me since the start. This truly is the people’s campaign.),” she said.
With reports from Carlos L. Arcenas
