Well-wishers and supporters of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio are so eager to get a piece of her that the vice presidential bet is now forced to remind them about following minimum public health standards (MPHS).
Duterte-Carpio carried out campaign sorties in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya Friday, Feb. 11, where she was again mobbed by followers amid the ever-present threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
During one instance in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, an elderly woman mananged to get close to the Davao mayor and asked for an autograph. The gray-haired fan then snapped a selfish with her phone.
Asked about the feasibility of the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) safety guidelines for campaign sorties, Duterte-Carpio noted that she was aware of the problem on the ground.
"Sinusubukan din talaga namin na mayroon kaming personnel na in charge para sa reminders ng public health standards (We try to have our own personnel who are in charge of giving reminders on public health standards)," the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) chairperson said in an interview.
"Kahit ako tumutulong na sa pag-remind sa mga tao at yung police at local government public officials rin, tumutulong na rin sila (Even I have been helping in reminding the people, the police and local government public officials are also helping)," she said.
"But minsan kasi yung mga tao sa sobrang passion nila and sa excitement nila, nakalimutan talaga nila yung (But sometimes, because of the people's passion and excitement, they really forget about the MPHS)," Duterte-Carpio noted.
At any rate, she said that the supporters have been compliant about the face mask rule, and that the only problem during the sorties so far has been maintaining physical distancing.
The 2022 elections will be the first Philippine elections to be conducted during a pandemic.
Should Comelec revise it's campaign guidelines? To this question, the vice presidential aspirant said: "We leave it up to them to reassess what is happening on the ground and to reassess if their rules are realistic on the ground."
While in Bayombong, Duterte-Carpio was promised all-out support by Lakas-CMD provincial chairman and Nueva Vizcaya lone district Rep. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma.
"Yes, 100 percent . Matagal na ko nangangampaya for her at saka si Bongbong Marcos. Nasa UniTeam tayo eh (I've long been campaigning for her and Bongbong Marcos. We're in UniTeam)," said Cuaresma, whose province has an estimated 300,000 voters.
Marcos is running for president under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas of PFP. He and Duterte-Carpio are collectively known as the BBM-Sara UniTeam.