Former Duterte Cabinet member Ismael "Mike" Sueno has endorsed the vice presidential bid of Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, saying "no one comes close" to him in terms of experience in agriculture.
Sueno, a former secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), said farmers like Pangilinan and other agricultural workers are mired in hardships in their sector, yet are barely getting help from the government.
He also made a call to the public to train their sights on the candidate who has the experience and passion for agriculture.
“Of all the vice presidential bets, no one can come close to Kiko Pangilinan’s experience in and passion for agriculture,” he said in a statement.
“Many of us in Mindanao are farmers and fishermen. We are facing a lot of problems. It appears that the government is giving us less attention. Kiko will take up the cudgels for us,” he added.
Pangilinan expressed gratitude for Sueno's support, saying that the support carries weight coming from a Mindanaoan and farmer, like himself.
The former Cabinet member, meanwhile, described the Robredo-Pangilinan movement made up of volunteers as “amazing.”
“Volunteerism has reached its peak. Volunteers young and old are increasing every day. As a result, many groups and sectors are coming out endorsing the tandem,” he said.
Pangilinan is the running mate of aspiring president Vice President Leni Robredo.
Sueno also called on groups to declare support for Pangilinan, noting that some groups are still not carrying the Senator as their vice-presidential candidate.
He said he has reviewed the past and present records of the other aspirants and found Pangilinan to be deserving of the Filipino vote.
Sueno also called for votes for some of the senatorial candidates in the Leni-Kiko slate, namely, Senator Leila de Lima, Senator Risa Hontiveros, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, former congressman Teddy Baguilat, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Alex Lacson, labor leader Sonny Matula and Senator Richard Gordon.
He also endorsed the senatorial bid of former party-list lawmaker Neri Colmenares and former agriculture secretary Manny Piñol.
Sueno was appointed as DILG Secretary in 2016 but was dismissed by President Duterte in 2017 over corruption allegations. Sueno was among those who supported Duterte's presidential candidacy in 2016 and was instrumental in convincing the President to run.