The Visayas chapter of Manila Mayor Francisco 'Isko Moreno' Domagoso’s volunteer organization has dropped its support of his presidential bid and will instead work for the election of his rival Vice President Leni Robredo.
In a statement, the Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas Cebu Chapter, the national volunteer organizing network of Moreno, led other volunteer groups in the Visayas region in pivoting their support to the Vice President.
IM Pilipinas’ Visayas coordinator Nick Malazarte mentioned the Manila mayor’s poor survey rating for the shift in support.
“We want to ensure that the country will not be run by an incompetent, unqualified and law-breaking Bongbong Marcos that has no outstanding track record in public service to speak of,” he said.
Though Robredo is a far-second to survey frontrunner former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she has gained the support of the clergy, academe, student councils and organizations, economists, and ex-government officials.
Several key political figures around the country are also behind Robredo’s presidential bid.
Her rallies, generating tens of thousands of supporters or kakampinks, made waves on social media and topped the trending topics on social media.
“This is really a very hard decision for us to make as we were at the forefront in propelling the candidacy of Isko Moreno. But we have to stand for what is best for the whole country and to our people,” Malazarte said.
READ: More Pinoys shift to support Robredo after presidential interview
This came after several sectoral groups coming from various sides of the political spectrum picketed in front of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Cebu City to demand the government to execute the Supreme Court decision in 1997 concerning the P203.819-billion estate tax liabilities of the Marcoses.
“But despite our volunteer efforts, we have seen in the national media, validated in almost all surveys and more importantly felt it on the ground that Isko is still on the distant third spot of all the presidential candidates. Albeit his very good programs and his efficiency in the City of Manila, he remained at the third,” Malazarte added.
The IM Pilipinas’ national organization will soon follow its Visayas chapter in endorsing Robredo’s candidacy, he claimed.
The decision to switch to Robredo came after the group considered the “welfare of the nation rather than their own personal interest.”
Although they understand that many will criticize their move, Malazarte stressed that it is more important to be loyal to the country than to one candidate.
Before announcing the decision, Malazarte said IM Pilipinas Visayas already sat down with various pro-Robredo organizations in Cebu.
However, the group has “no concrete plans yet” to merge with Robredo’s existing campaigns or even mount a separate one.
This is not the first time a group shifted to Robredo from one of her rivals. Earlier, the Partido Reforma of former House Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez dropped Senator Panfilo Lacson’s presidential bid to endorse Robredo.