An honor and a challenge.
That's how Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) vice presidential bet Sara Duterte described the Iglesia ni Cristo's (INC) endorsement of the UniTeam tandem for the May 9 polls.
The UniTeam tandem is composed of Duterte and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Bongbong Marcos.
“Ang pagpili sa amin ni Apo Bongbong Marcos bilang mga kandidato na inyong sinusuportahan sa pagka-presidente at bise presidente sa darating na halalan ay isang malaking karangalan na may kaakibat na hamong nakatuon sa aming kakayahang mapag-isa ang bansa. Mapagbuklod ang mga Pilipino at maitawid ang sambayanan sa crisis na dulot ng pandemya (It’s a huge honor, with a corresponding challenge on our ability to unite the country--to unite Filipinos and to uplift the country from the crisis caused by the pandemic--to be picked as the candidates that you will support for president and vice president in the coming elections)," Duterte said in response to the INC on Tuesday night, May 3.
The endorsement of the INC is sought-after because of their reputation of being "bloc voters", meaning their entire membership is expected to carry the candidates picked by the religious sect's leadership.
For his part, Marcos thanked the INC for their endorsement of him and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Duterte.
“Sisikapin po namin na ang tiwalang ipinagkaloob niyo sa aming tambalan ay magbubunga ng tunay na pagkakaisa ng mga Pilipinong nagmamahal sa Pilipinas at walang alinlangan na sama-samang haharap sa mga pagsubok na daraan sa paghanda ng magandang bukas para sa ating mga kabataan (We will see to it that the trust that you imparted to us will lead to true unity among Filipinos who love the Philippines, and thus without doubt will bind us toward a better tomorrow for our youth),” Marcos said.
The INC’s official support to the Marcos-Duterte tandem was announced on Tuesday night over Net 25.
“Muli maraming salamat po sa inyong tiwala (Again, thank you for your trust),” Duterte said.