BAGUIO CITY — It is far from presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo’s mind that she can draw thousands of supporters at the heart of the Cordillera region in Baguio City where she held her “Takder Kordi“ rally here at the Melvin Jones Grandstand.
But Cordillera-based kakampinks didn’t disappoint her, trooping to the park and staying there even as the rain poured and drenched most of Baguio’s youth attendees.
While she has always been thankful to supporters and volunteers, Robredo has special gratitude for the Baguio crowd.
“Nagpapasalamat ako, gaya ng sinabi ng national artists natin kanina, kahit mahirap ‘yung laban, lumalaban (I am thankful, as said by our national artists earlier, even if the fight is hard, still fighting),” the Vice President said.
“Kahit marami ‘yung mga hadlang, hindi umaayaw. Dahil alam po natin kapag tama ang ating nilalaban, wala naman tayong talo (Even with a lot of roadblocks, (we are) not backing down. Because we know that if we’re fighting for what’s right, we don’t lose),” she added.
But as she was thanking some 30,000 supporters there, according to local organizers and is yet to be confirmed by the Philippine National Police (PNP), a flock of pigeons flew overhead and the Vice President shared that during her rally in Zamboanga City, a butterfly circled around her, too.
A flock of birds and a butterfly are not the only signs prominent in Robredo’s campaign.
Even when it was raining hard, not once did she have to endure getting wet on stage because somehow, the rain stopped when it was time for her to deliver her speech.
“Saka hindi pa nasisira ‘yung record ko kapag umuulan at magsasalita ako, humihinto talaga ‘yung ulan (And my record has not been broken when it is raining and I’m about to speak, the rain stops),” she said.
The same happened here in Baguio City. Kakampinks were soaking wet because the rain was relentless even until Robredo’s running mate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan took the stage.
But when it was the Vice President’s turn, the rain stopped and her supporters were finally able to enjoy the night.
Before Baguio City, Robredo also visited Kalinga and Abra, marking the end of her campaign in the “Solid North” as she’s set to visit Visayas and Mindanao before a Miting de Avance on Saturday, May 7.