Bayanihan sparked among supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo, better known as "Kakampinks," as some of them tried to pitch in to help fellow supporters travel from their hometowns to Bacolod City for Robredo's grand rally Friday night, March 11.
Following the alleged cancellation of chartered trips to Bacolod City, where the "main event" of the Team Robredo-Pangilinan campaign trail in Negros Occidental will take place, supporters took to social media to arrange transportation service for supporters coming from far towns.
"People from outside Negros are pitching in to help us hire jeeps so Negrenses who do not have the means to travel can still come to the rally," social media user Alexa Soledad said on her Twitter post after claims from people online that two bus services in the province cancelled chartered trips.
God provides! People from outside Negros are pitching in to help us hire jeeps so Negrenses who doesn’t have the means to travel can still come to the rally after Ceres and Cebro buses left us hanging on the last minute. Salamat po #NegrosIsPink #MASSKARApatDapatLeniKiko
— Alexa Soledad (@AlexaGSoledad) March 10, 2022
This was, however, denied by the bus company in a statement, saying there are no stoppage in their service for Friday trips.
Another supporter, Chill Lacuesta, an agriculturist, offered a 15-seater van to bring supporters to Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City from the municipalities of Bago, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan.
"Hindi po ito bayad (This is not paid)! We are offering our services for free! Mahal ang gas pero mas mahal namin ang Pilipinas!" Lacuesta said on a Facebook post.
The free ride service was immediately fully booked shortly after it was posted.
The Robredo People's Council in Negros Occidental also took to social media to encourage "kakampinks" to rise above the challenge and help each other.
"The beautiful thing about hope is that it is always born out of adversity. That's the spirit of Paglaum. Negros Occidental, we can rise above this challenge! Help out a kakampink by connecting them to a carpool/transportation service to Bacolod tomorrow!" they said.
The grand rally that will be held in Paglaum Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Friday is expected to gather tens of thousands of Negrenses as they try to break an earlier grand-rally record in Cavite.
READ MORE: Negrenses aim to set a new record in Leni-Kiko rally on Friday
A mini rally of Robredo, runningmate Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, and their senatorial slate in Sagay City Friday morning was already a well-attended event with supporters braving the heavy downpour and the mud-soaked football field.
Prior to the grand people's rally, which has become one of the most anticipated activities in every provincial sortie of Robredo, the Team Robredo-Pangilinan will hold mini rallies in the afternoon. These are the Binalbagan Rally and La Carlota Rally.