Vice President Leni Robredo’s supporters in Ilocos Norte, the political bailwick of her rival, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., bravely backed her presidential bid by wearing pink shirts and parading her tarpaulins and posters in Laoag City.
The group went to various areas in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte’s capital, including its municipal capitol and the Hall of Justice to parade around Robredo’s posters and show their support for her 2022 presidential bid.
The volunteers said it is liberating to know that many people from the province support Robredo.
“I thought I was alone. I was wrong,” Zsa Zsa Raval, coordinator of Ilocos Norte for Leni-Kiko volunteers, said in a statement.
She encouraged her fellow Robredo supporters who are afraid to come out in the open to publicly show support for their presidential candidate.
“It’s okay to come out in the open to show support to your political candidate, even in the so-called ground zero,” she added.
READ: Robredo supporters get creative with ‘Kakampink challenge' responses
The Marcoses trace their roots in Ilocos Norte with Marcos Jr. winning there as governor and congressman. In 2016, the younger Marcos won overwhelmingly there with 297,853 votes against Robredo’s 3,696 votes.
Meanwhile, Robredo’s volunteers in Manila and various provinces affected by Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) are working “double time” this holiday season to pack and deliver relief goods and other forms of assistance.
Dapat si Leni! volunteers in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental used tricycles to go house-to-house and deliver relief foods to the affected residents of the typhoon.
The volunteers also visited several coastal barangays to hand relief goods to residents whose houses were destroyed by the typhoon.
Relief goods are also prepared for the residents of Anini-y, Antique.
The group is giving away 1,500 insulated mats that they received from anonymous donors to Siargao, Cebu, Bohol, and Bacolod.
READ: Robredo appeals for relief goods donations for typhoon victims
Dapat si Leni! is also accepting cash or in-kind donations.
“Sa mga nais pong tumulong, tumatanggap pa rin po ng donations ang Dapat Si Leni! networks (To those who want to help, Dapat Si Leni! networks are still accepting donations),” the group said on Twitter.
Team Leni Robredo (TLR), on the other hand, said they will temporarily stop accepting donations at the Leni Kiko Volunteer Center in Quezon City this Dec. 24 and 25. The center will still accept donations until 11 p.m. today, Dec. 23.
“Gagamitin ang oras na ito para ayusin ang nag-umaapaw na donasyon mula sa ating mga KakamPink (We are going to use this time to fix the overwhelming donation from our KakamPink),” the group said.
Robredo earlier turned her’s and running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s volunteer headquarters into a relief center.
It will start to receive donations once more on Sunday, Dec. 26.