Former Senator Paolo Benigno 'Bam' Aquino IV, who served as Vice President Leni Robredo’s campaign manager, told supporters on Tuesday, May 10, that this was not the end for the Tropang Angat, and asked them to find the strength to heal, rise, and love others again.
Aquino, senatorial bets Sonny Matula and Teddy Baguilat Jr., and Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez addressed supporters to boost their morale amid the quick count results of the presidential elections.
“Kung ang pagmamahal nang radikal ay pagmamahal kahit paulit-ulit nasasaktan, sana’y may natitira pa tayong lakas para maghilom, bumangon, at magmahal muli. Huwag nating hayaang mabalot muli ng dilim ang ating mga puso (If loving radically means loving despite feeling pain again, let there be strength left for healing, rising up, and loving again. Let us not allow our hearts to be engulfed by darkness again),” Aquino said in a Facebook post.
Admitting that it is painful and hard to accept the election results that gave former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a wide lead, Robredo’s campaign manager stressed that this should not be the end of the quest to fulfill the vision of a better country that only Filipinos deserve.
“Nagawa natin, bagkus mabilis lamang. At naniniwala akong hindi tayo rito natatapos. Hindi tayo rito dapat matapos. Kailangan nating ipaglaban ito at yung moment na ‘yon, gawing reyalidad, hindi lang para sa mga kakampi, kundi para sa bawat Pilipino (We did it, despite quickly. And I believe that it doesn’t end here. We should not end here. We need to fight for this and that moment, make a reality, not just for allies, but for every Filipino),” he added.
READ: Robredo asks supporters to respect election results; ‘We need to listen to people’s voice’
For Gutierrez, Robredo’s camp is trying to move forward despite realizing that supporters were sad and angry at what happened.
“We are trying to find the best path forward. Pakiusap lang: konting pasensiya (Just a plea: a little patience). We will release updates within the day. Kapit lang. Nandito kami (Hold tight. We are here),” he tweeted.
Robredo is set to attend a “Misa ng Pagkakaisa at Pasasalamat” at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral at 5:30 p.m. later.
Matula and Baguilat also thanked supporters, with the latter asking them “to keep in touch, mobilize, and educate.”
“(I) Am grateful to all who were trying to make this country a better place. We fought a good fight! Malayo na ang landas na ating natahak, subalit di pa po tapos ang laban (We’ve journeyed long, but the battle is not yet done)!,” Matula, a labor leader, said.
The latest partial and unofficial quick count from the transparency servers showed Marcos with more than 30 million votes and Robredo with 14.7 million votes.