Former Parañaque City Mayor Florencio “Jun” Bernabe Jr. has come out regarding his support for the UniTeam tandem of presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
“We are the longest ally of the Marcoses here in Parañaque. Loyal kami sa mga Marcos, hanggang may Marcos na tumatakbo nandyan kami (We’re loyal to the Marcoses, as long as a Marcos will run we will be there),” Bernabe said on Sunday, March 13.
Bernabe's tenure as the Mayor of Parañaque lasted from 2004 to 2013. He subscribes to the UniTeam’s flagship platform of “unity", likening the dynamic to a “leader and his flock".
“His call for unity is very good. Every leader wants his flock working and moving as one pero iba-iba yung circumstances ng bawat isang tao sa baba it’s so difficult (but each person has different circumstances. At the local government level, it’s so difficult),” he added.
Bernabe, alongside members of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), and Muslim Alliance for BBM-Sara met with Marcos in Parañaque prior to a UniTeam caravan in the city.
“He is a very strong leader. Alam naman natin ang mga public servants ‘di basta-basta nagpapakita ng emosyon, ‘pag may mali pagsasabihan ka agad (We know that our public servants rarely show emotion, if something’s wrong they’ll correct you immediately). He will judge the situation after studying the pros and cons of what happened,” the former mayor added.
“Yung dating kaibigan na talagang may paniniwala at paninindigan ay nandyan pa rin (He is an old friend that has faith and is always there so) we always feel like we are in good hands. Kahit wala siyang hinahawakan na position ay leader pa rin siya at ito ay malaking bagay (even though he does not hold any position, he is still a leader and this is a big thing),” Marcos said in response to Bernabe's expression of support.
Marcos, a member of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), is gunning for the presidency alongside Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice presidential bet and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.