In an attempt to rally their base voters, vice presidential hopeful Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan cited a Philippine poll "trend" that shows that early frontrunners in pre-election surveys always lose in the end.
"Sa ngayon tayo ay nasa likuran ika nga ng karera, ngunit ang karera ay hindi natatapos sa ngayon...tatlong buwan pa (We are behind in the race right now, but this race doesn't end today...there are three more months)," opposition bet Pangilinan said during 1Sambayan's online proclamation and fund drive on Friday night, Jan. 28.
Pangilinan was obviously referring to the May 9, 2022 polls, where he will run alongside opposition standard-bearer, Vice President Leni Robredo.
"Mula noong 2004 hanggang sa 2016, ang lahat ng mga nangunguna sa kandidatura nila sa oras na ito ay hindi pinalad at natalo. Ibig sabihin, yung mga nangunguna ngayon, hindi ibig sabihing sila ang magiging panalo sa Mayo (From 2004 to 2016, everyone who have led in their candidacy at this juncture weren't luck enough to win. That means that having the lead now doesn't ensure a victory come May)," he noted.
Offering an explanation, Pangilinan said the minds of voters at this point aren't completely made up and could still be swayed to favor other poll aspirants.
The Robredo-Pangilinan tandem is behind their respective opponents as per a Pulse Asia survey conducted from Dec. 1 to 6, 2021. Robredo (20 percent) was a far second to former Senator Bongbong Marcos (53 percent), while Pangilinan (12 percent) sat in third place behind Senate President Tito Sotto (31) and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (45).
"Pwede pang magbago ito. Ganun ang nangyari noong 2004, ganun ang nangyari noong 2010, ganun din ang nangyari noong 2016 dahil sa developments sa kampanya (This can still change. This happened in 2004, this happened in 2010, and this also happened in 2016 due to developments in the campaign)," Pangilinan said.
"Which means we have to continue reaching out to those who have yet to finally decide sino ang susuportahan nila (who they will support). Ang maliwanag, pwede pang magbago ang survey results, ang suporta ng taumbayan (What's clear is that the survey results can still change, with the people's support)," he said.
The vice presidential bet stressed: "Pero magbabago lamang yan kung ika nga ay tayo mismo ay magiging masigasig sa ating pagkumbinsi, maging masigasig sa pagpiprisinta ng katotohanan (But this will only change if we ourselves will become diligent in convincing people and in presenting the truth)."
Pangilinan couldn't help but take shots at their rivals on the subject of truth and honesty.
"Ang lamang ng ating katunggali, marami riyan ay dahil sa disinformation (As to the advantage of our rivals, a lot of it is rooted in disinformation). And I believe that the truth, when...the truth is presented and comes face to face with disinformation and false and lies, the truth will resonate and the lies will fall flat."
"Naniniwala ako na ang katotohanan, pag ka nalaman ng taumbayan, doon sila papanig at hihiwalayan o iiwanan ang kasinungalingan. Yun ang hamon sa 'tin (I believe that the people, when presented with the truth, would alway chose it over lies. That is our challenge).
"Ang kinakailangan nating alamin, gawin, at tiyakin ay magkaroon ng pagbabago ng pag-iisip at suporta (What we need to do is to determine, act, and ensure that minds would be changed and support shifted)," Pangilinan added.