Vice Presidential candidate and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is not about to give up just yet.
Pangilinan, who is the running mate of Vice President Leni Robredo, said the truth will always prevail, as he refused to bow out of the fight.
“Hindi pa tapos ang bilangan. Sa ilang mga presinto, hindi pa tapos ang botohan. May mga tanong tungkol sa proseso na hindi pa nasasagot (The counting of votes is not yet over. In some precincts, the voting is not done. There are questions about the process that have not yet been answered),” he said in a statement on Tuesday, May 10.
“Hindi pa tapos ang laban. At dala nating sandata sa laban bukas: ang walang katulad na ginising nating kilusan. Ang kilusan ng bolunterismo, ng bayanihan, ng pakikipagkapwa, ipagpatuloy natin (The fight is not yet over. And our weapon in this fight: the incomparable movement that we’ve awakened. Let’s continue this movement of volunteerism, community spirit, and fellowship.)
Pangilinan issued the statement shortly after Robredo addressed her supporters early Tuesday morning, May 10, as closest rival former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. kept his lead with over 12 million votes.
Based on the partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) transparency server, Marcos got 27,052,601 votes as against Robredo’s 13,915,249 votes with 91.49 percent of the election returns already transmitted as of 2:17 a.m. on Tuesday.
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The senator, on the other hand, was far behind with 8,681,721 against Marcos’ running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte who obtained 29,388,018 votes.
Pangilinan still plans to fight for farmers, fisherfolk, food security, good governance, and the country’s rights to the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Ipagpatuloy natin ang mga naumpisahan para iangat ang buhay at kabuhayan ng mga magsasaka, mangingisda, at ng lahat ng nasa laylayan – kahanay man o hindi (Let’s continue what we’ve started to uplift the lives and livelihood of farmers, fisherfolk, and those in the margins – regardless if they’re with us or not),” he said.
“Ngayon at sa mga susunod na bukas, mas kakailanganin natin ang ginising nating radikal na pagmamahal para sa kapwa Pilipino (Today and in the next days, we will need this radical love we have awakened for our fellow Filipinos),” Pangilinan added.
He asked their supporters to continue volunteering and advocating because he believed that they have planted the “seeds of hope” across the country.
“Kailangan nating alagaan. Tuloy nating ipaglaban ang mahal natin. Samahan ninyo ako. Samahan ninyo kami ni VP Leni (We need to take care of it. We need to fight for what we love. Join me. Join me and VP Leni),” he said.
“Magwawagi rin ang katotohanan. Magwawagi rin tayo. Aani rin tayo. Hindi natutulog ang Diyos. Manalig tayo na sa huli, pagmamahal ang magtatagumpay (The truth will triumph. We will win. We will reap. God does not sleep. Let’s believe that in the end, love will triumph),” Pangilinan added.