Philippines
'She will be our first Bicolano president': Opposition senatorial bets rally behind Robredo's candidacy
'She will be our first Bicolano president': Opposition senatorial bets rally behind Robredo's candidacy
It’s not every day you see different political colors join the stage for a presidential campaign but Vice President Leni Robredo running as an independent candidate opened the doors for lawyers Chel Diokno, and Alex Lacson, reelectionist Senator Richard Gordon, and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Despite still being chairperson of the once-ruling Liberal Party, Robredo decided to run as an independent to show her willingness to work with others.
Diokno, a member of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, was the first one to take the stage at the famed Plaza Quezon in Naga City to start the Robredo-Pangilinan grand rally.
He spoke of his background as a lawyer for the “dehado (disadvantaged)” and said that despite winning many of his cases, many are still falling into the cracks in the justice system.
“Dehado na dehado ordinaryong mamamayan...Paniwala ko para maging patas ang batas, dapat matapat ang ating mambabatas...at para ang dehado ay maging llamado, dapat makatao ang nasa Senado (The ordinary people are very disadvantaged...It is my belief that for the law to be equal, our lawmakers should be honest...and for the disadvantaged to be in the winning side, those in the Senate should be humane),” Diokno said.
The son of the revered statesman Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno and grandson of former Senator and Supreme Court Justice Ramon Diokno, the veteran lawyer has a long and storied history of standing up for “freedom and democracy.”
READ: Team Leni-Kiko gets creative, adopts stop-and-go style for campaign
From them, Diokno said he got his love for country, honesty, and sense of justice.
In jest and this is what his supporters, who call themselves “Chel-dren” loved about him, he wondered if he got his “good looks” from his ancestors, too.
Trillanes, one of President Duterte’s staunchest critics, took the stage next and spoke in Bicolano.
He said he wants to see if he can still speak in straight Bicolano since he can trace his roots to Ligao, Albay where his father is from.
A former Navy officer who was one of the first persons to push Robredo to run as president, Trillanes claimed that the Vice President “will be our first Bicolano president.”
“To all my fellow Filipinos all over the country, ngayon magsisimula ang laban meron tayo 90 days para kumbinsihin ang mga Pilipino na ang tamang daan ng ating bansa ay si Leni Robredo (now that the fight has started we have 90 days to persuade Filipinos that the right way for our country is Leni Robredo),” he said, addressing thousands in the crowd.
“Kasama ba natin ang mga taga-Naga sa laban na yan? So, sisimulan po natin (Are the people of Naga with us in that fight? So, we will now start),” Trillanes added.
Lawyer Alex Lacson, a known author of several books about nationalism, shared about his simple background and his aspirations for the country.
The son of a public school teacher and a mere high school graduate, that didn’t stop him from finishing law and taking up a special course at the prestigious Harvard University.
“Produkto po ako ng (I am a product of) hard work,” he said, adding that he served also as a lawyer for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Lacson shared he wants to pass a law that will grant a “family health card” that will shoulder P100,000 of medical expenses for each family outside of state insurer Philhealth’s coverage.
Reelectionist Senator Richard Gordon was the only guest candidate who attended the grand rally.
Of all the senatorial bets who took the stage, Gordon was the only one who took a direct swipe at Duterte much to the crowd’s delight.
READ: Gordon kicks off campaign with VP Leni, Pangilinan
He mentioned the corruption in Pharmally and the lack of stand in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue.
The senator said he was “astounded” by the crowd, saying: “We are in the pink of health in this province.”
Gordon talked about how he’s a constant figure in Bicol region as the head of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
With Bicol at the path of most typhoons, the senator said he led PRC to build 13,000 homes in the region.
“Pumili kayo ng magagaling (Choose good senators),” he told the crowd, “There should be no compromise between your duty and what is right.”
Gordon led the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the anomalous Pharmally deal that delivered substandard medical supplies to the country.