Vice President Leni Robredo's camp hailed Senator Manny Pacquiao's appeal for a poltical "ceasefire" among their fellow 2022 presidential aspirants amid the race to respond to the plight of typhoon "Odette's" victims.
Lawyer Barry Gutierrez, Robredo's spokesperson, highlighted on Friday, Dec. 17, that it was the Vice President who first responded to the senator's call.
"Natutuwa nga kami na nauna si Senator Pacquiao dito at mabilis kaagad na sumang-ayon si VP Leni dahil sa panahon talaga ng ganito na may malaking pangangailangan ang ating mga kababayan, i-set aside muna natin 'yung pulitika (We're happy that Senator Pacquiao initiated this, and VP Leni was quick to concur because indeed, politics must be set aside during times of crisis)," Gutierrez told reporters at a relief operations center in Quezon City.
"Sumagot na kaagad si VP Leni dyan, at sumang-ayon siya at silang dalawa, 'yung sinimulan nilang ito na panawagan sa lahat ng mga tumatakbo ngayong eleksyon na ito na isantabi muna natin 'yung pangangampanya, isantabi muna natin 'yung pamumulitika para magkaisa at tiyakin na matulungan natin 'yung mga kapatid nating tinamaan ng Odette eh maganda yan (VP Leni quickly responded to that, she agreed and this initiative, their call for all election aspirants to set their campaigns aside, to set politics aside in order to ensure our unity in providing help to victims of Odette is an admirable one)," he added.
Earlier, retired boxing icon and incumbent lawmaker Pacquiao posted his appeal on Twitter and tagged his Palace rivals Robredo, former Senator Bongbong Marcos, Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso, Senator Ping Lacson, and labor rights activist Leody de Guzman.
Referring to Pacquiao and Robredo, Gutierrez said: "So hopefully silang dalawa ni Senator Pacquiao ang nanguna dito, 'yung mga ibang mga kandidato ay willing din sana na isantabi muna 'yung pangangampanya sa darating na mga araw (So hopefully she and Senator Pacquiao will lead this, and that the other candidates would also be willing to set their campaigns aside in the coming days)."
"Magtulong-tulong tayo para makapagbigay ng tamang tulong at suporta dun sa mga kapatid nating naapektuhan ng Odette (Let's cooperate with each other in order to give the proper kind of assistance and support to our fellow men that were affected by Odette)," the Vice President's mouthpiece stressed.
Quoting Robredo, Gutierrez said that "bayanihan" or the Filipino custom of unity should be the response whenever their is crisis.
Robredo, the opposition's president bet, flew to typhoon-affected provinces on Friday to assess the situation there.