In Iloilo, in one of the only 15 provinces where she won against President Marcos in the two-person race to the presidency in 2022, former vice president Leni Robredo called on Ilonggos to rally for the Senate comeback bids of former senators Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan.
Senatorial candidates Kiko Pangilinan and Bam Aquino hold a volunteer campaign rally at the Iloilo Sports Complex on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Joining them are Senator Risa Hontiveros, former vice president Leni Robredo, and former Senate president Franklin Drilon, who raise their hands during the event. (Photo from Team Kiko Pangilinan)
It seemed to be a bittersweet moment for Robredo as she addressed the crowd that gathered for the volunteer campaign kick-off rally of Aquino and Pangilinan on Thursday night, March 6, at the Iloilo Sports Complex.
Although her supporters were admittedly heartbroken because of her 2022 loss, the former vice president remarked on the strength of their conviction to campaign again.
“Bakit ba hindi kayo nadadala? Dahil ang pinaglalaban natin hindi naman tao. Ang pinaglalaban natin 'yung kinabukasan ng mga Pilipino (Why haven’t you learned? Because we’re not fighting for a person. We are fighting for the future of Filipinos),” she said.
“Pag bayan ang pinaglalaban, hindi tayo napapagod. At iyon ang dahilan kung bakit tayo nagkakaisa pa din hanggang ngayon. Naghiwalayan na 'yung iba, tayo magkakasama pa din (When we’re fighting for the country, we don’t get tired. And that’s the reason why we are still united until now. Others have broken up, but we are still together),” she added as cheers erupted.
The breakdown of the UniTeam tandem of President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte hogged headlines in the past year.
“Wala akong sinasabi kung sino naghiwalay ah. Pero 'di ba ganun? Pag iyong pagmamahal nandiyan, kahit paulit-ulit nasasaktan laban pa din, tumataya pa din (I’m not referring to anyone. But it’s like that, right? If there’s love, even if we get hurt repeatedly, we still fight, we still sacrifice),” Robredo said.
“Kaya ngayon, laban pa din. Magkakasama pa din tayong lalaban dahil kinakailangan tayo ng ating bayan (So now, let’s fight. We are still together in this fight because our country needs us),” she added.
A walk down memory lane
Robredo recalled asking Aquino to be her campaign manager in 2016 when she ran as vice president and again in 2022 when she took on the challenge of the presidential polls.
Independent Senate bet Bam Aquino takes a selfie with former vice president Leni Robredo and supporters at the Iloilo Sports Complex (Photo from Bam Aquino Media Bureau)
"Bakit pinili ko si Bam Aquino maging campaign manager? Dahil kilala ko ang pagkatao. Dahil kilala ko kung gaano kahusay. Dahil kilala ko kung paano siya magtrabaho (Why did I choose Bam Aquino as campaign manager? Because I know him. Because I know how good he is. Because I know how he works),” she said.
“Ganyan kabuo ang tiwala ko kay Bam Aquino—matino, mahusay, at napakabait na tao (That’s how much I trust Bam Aquino—decent, excellent, and a good person).”
Pangilinan himself was also getting ready to run as senator in the 2022 polls that the former vice president said he even had tarpaulins and t-shirts already prepared.
But he took on the challenge of running alongside her. “Hindi ko aalukin si Senator Kiko kung hindi buo ang tiwala ko sa kanya (I did not ask Senator Kiko if I did not wholeheartedly trust him).”
Three is better than one
Robredo, who is gunning for the mayoralty position in her hometown of Naga City, also took pride on the work being done by Senator Risa Hontiveros, who was also in the audience, in the Senate.
“Kahit nag-i-isang boses na lang, laban nang laban pa din. Pero 'di ba mas maganda kung hindi siya nag-iisa? 'Di ba mas maganda na hindi lang si Senator Risa ang makikipaglaban para sa atin pero magiging tatlo na sila (Even if she’s a lone voice, she still fights. But isn’t it better if she’s not alone? Isn’t it better if there will be three who are fighting for us)?,” she asked.
Senator Risa Hontiveros speaks before the crowd at the volunteer campaign kick-off rally in Iloilo. (Photo from Sen. Hontiveros' Facebook page)
The former vice president lamented the kind of Senate the country will have without Aquino and Pangilinan there.
“Nai-imagine nyo ba kung hindi makalabas si Senator Bam at Senator Kiko, anong klase ang Senadong meron tayo? Nai-imagine nyo ba 'yan (Can you imagine what kind of Senate we will have if Senator Bam and Senator Kiko will not win? Can you imagine that)?,” Robredo said.
'Real unity'
An Ilongga herself, Hontiveros took pride on how voters in the province are not easily swayed by empty promises.
“Ayaw natin ng red flags diba? Pipili tayo ng tama (We do not like red flags, right? We are going to choose right)!,” she said.
“Kailangan natin ng konkretong aksyon, hindi lang mga paulit-ulit na pangako. We deserve better! Deadma na sa mga lumang modus. Tama na ang panloloko nila! Dito na tayo sa totoong unity (We need concrete action, not empty promises. We deserve better! Let’s reject the old modus. Reject their deceit! We’re for the true unity)!,” she declared.
As the lone senator who won from Robredo’s 2022 senatorial lineup, Hontiveros has remained firm in her stance against China’s aggression, offshore gambling hubs, and corruption linked to Vice President Duterte.
“Ayaw na natin ng mga salita lamang - gusto natin may gawa din. Mga lider na may integridad. Mga lider na tapat (We do not want words alone—we want actions. Leaders who have integrity. Leaders who are honest),” she said.
Referring to Aquino and Pangilinan, she called them the father of free college and guaranteed jobs and an ally of farmers and consumers, respectively.
Former senator Kiko Pangilinan waves to the audience as he delivers his speech at the Iloilo campaign rally on Thursday night. (Photo courtesy of Team Kiko Pangilinan)
“Hindi lang sila nangangako ha —nagawa na nila! At itong pinaka importante, totoo ito, promise, kapag nagsama-sama kami ulit sa Senado, makukuha natin ang totoong pagbabago (They didn’t just promise—they did it already! And this is the most important, this is true, promise, if we’re together int he Senate, we will have real change),” the senator added.
Kakampink bailwick
Iloilo was one of the last remaining bastions of the once-powerful Liberal Party (LP), which Robredo and Aquino were once members of. Pangilinan and former senate president Franklin Drilon, who was in the audience, remain members to this day.
The province delivered a resounding victory for Robredo in the 2016 vice presidency race against Marcos and again, it gave her 579,345 votes in 2022 while the eventual President had 374,064.
Aquino and Pangilinan had similar political experiences in Iloilo—Aquino placed second in Iloilo City in the 2019 senatorial election and third overall in the province, while Pangilinan won with a small margin over Vice President Sara Duterte in 2022.
It is this history that led them back to Iloilo in the same sports complex where some 40,000 supporters rocked to Pinoy pop culture icon Ely Buendia’s performance during Robredo’s and Pangilinan’s pink rally in February 2022.
And on Thursday, it was a bit like that time again as “Liwanag Sa Dilim” blasted on the background, Robredo raised Aquino’s and Pangilinan’s hands and beamed at a crowd who have had their backs for almost a decade.
A Kiko-Bam supporter joins the volunteer campaign rally in Iloilo. (Photo from Team Kiko Pangilinan via Facebook)