The camp of Vice President Leni Robredo denied allegations that she paid P800 million for the endorsement of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez and his Davao-based Partido Reporma after presidential candidate Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson said that this was the reason for the lawmaker's switch.
Lacson alleged that Alvarez's chief-of-staff asked for P800 million for additional funding for Partido Reporma's local bets, but the former House Speaker and Duterte ally said this was money for the poll watchers.
"Our campaign thrives on initiative and volunteerism, and we certainly do not have 800M pesos to give away to anyone," Gutierrez said in a tweet, answering the allegations.
"The support for VP Leni's presidential bid is anchored on the hope that she can reform government and bring a better future for all Filipinos," he added.
Alvarez and his Davao-based party dropped Lacson and switched to Robredo, citing winnability as one of the reasons. Lacson, who resigned as chairman of the party and will instead run as an independent candidate, said the issue stemmed from the P800 million Alvarez's chief-of-staff was asking and which he does not have.
READ: Lacson: Lack of add'l funding for local candidates made Alvarez switch support
He already said that since Robredo is not a party member, she is not required to provide for the party's local candidates.
In a press statement, Alvarez explained how his party arrived at the computation. Citing the 2019 data of having 389,703 polling precincts, the lawmaker said a candidate needs two watchers (one for the morning and one for the afternoon/evening) for each precinct.
That will amount to P1,000 in allowance, including the food, transportation, training, and reimbursements. This is needed for a "credible national campaign."
Upon Lacson's rejection of the amount needed for the poll watchers, Alvarez said he was duty-bound to inform the volunteers and local candidates.
"Resultantly, a significant portion of the ground efforts made a decision which we have to respect. If they will continue campaigning substantially on a voluntary basis, they will campaign for the candidate that has a better – and not necessarily a certain – chance at winning," he shared.
"Leni Robredo's chances at winning, while she is second in the surveys, that ranking is still admittedly a distant second. Yes, as of date, it is a long shot. But in contrast to the other candidates, her long shot is better than longer shot," the lawmaker added.
More so, the Vice President's advocacy of government reform and local development reflect the same core principles as Partido Reporma.