MALAYBALAY, Bukidnon--Presidential bet Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ended the Mindanao leg of his campaign with Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa's explicit support.
During the last day of his Mindanao swing, Marcos led a massive UniTeam grand rally here.
He was accompanied by Dela Rosa who stood in for Marcos's running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who at the time was leading sorties around Bataan and Antipolo City in Luzon.
"Huwag nyo ako iboto. Hindi ako kandidato. Sa balota, hindi nyo makikita ang aking pangalan. Nandito ako para magrepresenta para sa ating mahal na si Inday Sara Duterte (Don't vote for me. I'm not a candidate. You won't see my name in the ballot. I'm here to represent our beloved Sara Duterte)," Dela Rosa said during the Bukidnon grand rally on Thursday, March 31.
Earlier in the day, Marcos held a motorcade around Valencia City in this province, also accompanied by Dela Rosa.
It was during this motorcade that Dela Rosa bared to reporters his support for the Marcos-Duterte tandem.
"Before pa naglabas ng decision ang partido namin (Even before our party made a decision), I’m already for BBM-Sara. Sabi ko na yan noon pa (I’ve said that before),” the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said to the press.
Back in October, Dela Rosa filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) for the presidency, and withdrew from the race just a month later in November.
UniTeam's frontman Marcos began campaigning around Mindanao on Sunday, March 27. He visited cities in South Cotabato, Davao, Lanao del Sur, and Bukidnon.
Marcos and Duterte are the survey frontrunners in the May 2022 polls.