Presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo is only the third presidential candidate and the first one since 1992 to visit Basilan province, but she said that her relationship with Moros runs deeper than a campaign sortie.
On their way to the Basilan People's Rally in Isabela City, her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan told her that she was the first presidential candidate to visit the province since the late former Sen. Jovito Salonga in 1992.
“Pero marami po sa inyo ang nakakaalam na pabalik-balik po ako dito sa Basilan sa anim na taon na ako po Pangalawang Pangulo (But many of you know that I come back to Basilan in the six years I was Vice President),” Robredo said, adding that she was there repeatedly even if it was not the campaign season yet.
She mentioned one of her projects in the region—the Weaving Center in Barangay Buahan, Lamitan, which she has already visited three times since she won.
The Vice President was there last month as well to inaugurate the center.
The help of the private sector fueled this project because the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has a meager budget.
“Napakaganda po ng inyong probinsya. Sa bawat punta namin dito, parati kaming namamangha kung gaano kaganda 'yung mga tanawin, kung gaano kabait ang mga tao, kung gaano kasarap ang pagkain (Your province is very beautiful. Every time we go here, we were always amazed how beautiful the sights are, how kind the people, and how delicious the food is),” Robredo added.
Basileños trooped to the Leni-Kiko grand rally in Isabela City, where they waved handmade placards for the Vice President to read.
This has been a fun way for Robredo to engage with her supporters, who call themselves kakampinks, in grand rallies that drew tens of thousands of people.
According to organizers, 45,000 people joined the campaign rally on Wednesday night.
The aspiring president lamented that not many national government officials visit the province because of the misconception that it isn't safe, but she argued that it doesn't help them understand the region's needs.
“Ako po pabalik-balik ako dito, wala naman nangyayari sa akin dahil pinapakita niyo ang pagmamahal niyo sa amin (I come back here again and again, nothing happens to me because you show your love for us),” she said.
Citing her late husband's dream to see lasting peace in Mindanao, Robredo shared that she carries this advocacy with her and believes that only a "clean government" can bring about change.
“Paniniwala na dapat nilalagay namin ang sarili namin sa komunidad. Kung kami po lider, kailangan pinapakiramdaman namin 'yung mga kahirapan na pinagdadaanan ninyo. 'Yun po 'yung dahilan kung bakit kahit napakalayo ng Basilan, pabalik-balik po ako dito (The belief that we should put ourselves in the communities. If we are leaders, we need to feel the difficulties you are going through. That’s the reason why even though Basilan is so far away, I keep on going back here),” she said.
“Dahil alam ko po, hindi lang dahil obligasyon namin 'yun pero alam ko na pag pinagtulungan natin 'yung mga pangangailangan, napakarami nating magagawa dito sa inyo (Because I know it is not only an obligation but I know that if we help each other in the needs, we can do a lot more here),” she added.
Earlier in the day, House Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman endorsed Robredo's presidential bid, saying that she is the best bet to stop the return of a family who "massacred" Moros.
READ: Hataman endorses VP Leni: 'The best chance for peace in BARMM'
The former governor of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's (BARMM) precursor, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), did not mention names, but he pointed out that the dictatorship was a dark period for Moros.
“Ipapaalala ko rin: Madilim na kabanata ang diktadurya, lalo na para sa ating mga Moro. Maraming pinaslang at pinahirapan. Minasaker tayo. Maraming napilitang pumulot ng armas sa ngalan ng katarungan; maraming napilitang lumikas sa mga tahanan. (May I also remind: the dictatorship was a dark chapter, especially for us Moros. A lot were murdered and tortured. We were massacred. Many of us were forced to pick up arms in the name of justice; many were forced out of their homes),” Hataman said.
“Tutol ako sa pagbabalik sa kapangyarihan ng angkan na nagpasimuno at nakinabang sa pang-aaping ito (I am against the return to power of the clan that perpetrated and benefited from this repression),” he added.