Preparations for the grand rally of Vice President Leni Robredo and running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan are in full swing at the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental where tens of thousands of Negrenses are expected to troop on Friday, March 11, to break an earlier grand-rally record in Cavite.

Negrenses on Twitter said they are aiming to break the number of attendees of Robredo’s grand rally in General Trias, Cavite, with some saying the goal is a “six-figure” attendance. Cavite drew 47,000 kakampinks from various towns and municipalities.

Laban Leni Negros Occidental (LLNO), tasked to organize the grand rally, said that “it’s all systems go” for Friday as Negrenses want “to send a message that Negros Occidental is pink.”

Lawyer Pinky Ocampo, LLNO spokesperson, said the volunteer spirit is “overwhelming as supporters out-of-town are organizing free rides for fellow Kakampinks.”

She also said that a long list of volunteer celebrity performers has signed up to join the rally.

“Rivermaya is definitely coming as they themselves announced it publicly,” Ocampo said, adding that she will release the list of performers before the grand rally’s main program that will start at 3 p.m.

Celebrities who trace their roots to Negros Occidental, such as Joel Torre and Kuh Ledesma, will be there, as well as MassKara dancers and several groups of drumbeaters.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson “will definitely be there,” Ocampo shared.

Lacson is one of the few local executives who openly supported Robredo since the majority of mayors in Negros Occidental were reportedly for former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

READ: Negros Occidental governor confirms support for Robredo’s presidential bid

On Twitter, Negrenses show how they are preparing for the grand rally, with many of them busy making massive pink parols, banderitas, floats, and t-shirts for Robredo and Pangilinan.

Robredo will be welcomed as “The Star of Hope,” which is reminiscent of the volunteer-led 1986 project that gave livelihood to thousands of sugar workers who had lost jobs due to the fall of the sugar industry.

It was also the slogan that celebrated the return of democracy after the People’s Power Revolution.

“This People’s Rally in Negros Occidental will not just be our welcome to her and her team. It will be a celebration of our commitment to make sure that her star gets to shine over the Filipino people in the next six years,” Millie Kilayko, the project manager of the 1986 Star of Hope project and now an LLNO member, said.

Security will be tight for the grand rally, Robredo’s camp said, adding that the Police Provincial Command and the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office teams have been augmented to ensure the safety and security of all attendees.

LLNO said it set up 12 medical assistance areas that will be manned by Doctors for Leni volunteers with eight ambulances situated in various locations around the stadium.

Ocampo reminded the public to expect heavy traffic in the surrounding areas of the stadium because of the road closure of Lacson and Hernaez streets from 8 a.m. until the event is over.

Organizers expect the program to last for seven hours.

Robredo won big in Negros Occidental in 2016, getting 715,174 versus Marcos’ 159,667.

Negros Occidental has more than 1.9 million voters for the May 2022 elections, making it the sixth most vote-rich province in the country.