BALAYAN, Batangas—"Leni" took center stage during UniTeam’s campaign rally here on Thursday, March 3 after hugging it out with senatorial candidate Robin Padilla in front of the crowd.
But that Leni was not opposition standard-bearer Vice President Leni Robredo, the main poll rival of presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. with whom Padilla has been campaigning with.
Instead, she was simply Leni, a Padilla supporter, who caught the former actor's attention by trying to climb over the fence toward the stage and requesting to get a kiss from the former movie star during his rendition of the song "Wonderful Tonight."
"Magmula ngayon, si Mariel ka na (From now on, your name is Mariel)," Padilla told Leni in jest after he told her to get on stage. Mariel is the name of Padilla's wife.
"Akin ang araw na 'to! (This is my day)," Leni exclaimed out of sheer joy.
UniTeam’s campaign rally here started at around 9 a.m. on the grounds of Balayan Municipal Hall, with the crowd repeatedly shouting "Bongbong, Sara."
Marcos Jr. and his running mate, aspiring vice president Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte top-billed the event after they were endorsed as presidential and vice presidential bets of the province's local officials. These included Batangas Governor Dodo Mandanas, Vice Governor Mark Leviste, and Balayan Mayor JR Fronda.
In an ambush interview, Mandanas guaranteed the votes of the Batangueños for the UniTeam tandem.
"Di lamang Balayan (Ang susuporta sa kanila kundi) buong Batangas (It's not only the town of Balayan that will support them, but the whole Batangas)," he said.
The governor also said that the province is one with Marcos Jr. and Duterte in their movement for unity. "Anong kailangan natin ngayon... magkaisa tayo...hindi yung magbangayan (What we need now is unity. We don't have to fight each other)," he said.