MALVAR, Batangas--The day of reckoning is near, and frontrunning presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos knows it.
He wants the mammoth crowd at the UniTeam rally here to know that too, just to keep everybody on the same page.
First, he thanked the local folk for taking part in the event and for giving the UniTeam slate a warm welcome.
"Konti na lang. Basta't walang iwanan ito hanggang sa dulo (Just a little bit more. There should be no abandoning each other until the end)," the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer said, obviously referring to election day, May 9. The date is less than three weeks away.
"Walang iwanan at tsaka walang tulugan (No abandoning each other and no dozing off)," Marcos said as he tried to rev up the crowd here at Lima Land in Barangay Santiago. Quoting a report from the Malvar Police Station, Police Regional Office (PRO)-4A spokesperson, Maj. Mary Anne Torres said that the crowd estimate from the event was "94,000 to 100,000".
"Sa Mayo a-nueve papadalhan ko kayo ng tone-tonelada na 3-in-1 para walang tulugan hanggang sa susunod (On May 9, I will send you tons of 3-in-1 so that you'll be awake until the next time)," the Ilocano Palace bet said.
Ironically, this province is known for its "Barako Coffee", a strong native coffee variety.
"Alam naman natin maraming nangyayari kapag gabi (We know that a lot of things happen at night)," Marcos further said, perhaps referring to the 2016 vice presidential race, which he lost in controversial fashion.
This wasn't the first time that Marcos used his "coffee joke"; the former senator first delivered it during the UniTeam rally in Marikina City last March 20. The PFP stalwart was already the frontrunner in presidential surveys back then.
However, the fact that he has kept his huge lead in the surveys this close to election day makes his coffee joke sound more serious than ever.
Joining Marcos during the rally here was the other half of the UniTeam in vice presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. Like Marcos, Duterte has been a consistent survey leader ahead of the polls.
The lady mayor's speech here was marked by her admission that the rally brought her close to tears.