Robredo optimistic but also realistic about Otso Diretso’s chances in Cebu

Vice President Leni Robredo in Cebu for the launching of the Istorya ng Pag-asa Film Festival on Feb. 20, 2019. |CDND Photo/Rosalie Abatayo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo remains optimistic that Cebuanos will vote for “Otso Diretso,” the Liberal Party’s senatorial ticket, even if many of them are new in politics.

” We are very realistic but we’re optimistic. We are realistic in the sense that, number one, we know for a fact that of the eight candidates, parang dalawa lang iyong kilalang kilala. We still need to exert a lot of effort in introducing the others. Iyon iyong number one reality,” Robredo told the Cebu press at the sidelines of the launching of Istorya ng Pag-asa Film Festival here on Wednesday.

“Number 2, we cannot depend on many local officials like we used to. Kasi iyon naman iyong reality ng Philippine politics, ‘di ba—whichever is the party of the president, almost everyone is there. So because we’re not with the party of the President, then we cannot expect the same kind of support that we’re expecting in 2016,” she added.

Cebu, which now has a voting population of about 3 million, used to be an LP stronghold when it was  the dominant national party during the term of President Benigno Simeon “Nonoy” Aquino III. But when President Rodrigo Duterte came into power in 2016, practically all LP-allied politicians shifted to Duterte’s PDP-Laban.

Today, only a few candidates have remained and are running in the May elections under LP, among then Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, who is running for vice governor under LP.  Even the gubernatorial runningmate of Davide, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, is not with LP but with Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Aside from Davide, there are only three other provincial candidates running under LP,  provincial board member candidates Jonathan Villages Sr. (second district), Horacio Paul “Raci” Franco (fourth district), and Erick Gica (seventh district).

Robredo said they are now banking on the support of local volunteers who offered to help in the campaign efforts.

“Iyong sabi nila, ‘Kami na, kami na iyong gagawa ng mga collaterals.’ Sabi nila, ‘Iyong pampakain nga ng volunteers, kahit hindi kumain iyong mga volunteers, okay lang.’ Everyone is all fired up,” Robredo said.

“The main struggle really is awareness. The main struggle is that they are not popular. So if we are given the opportunity to show people who they are, we are confident that we will be able to muster the support that we expect to muster,” added Robredo.

Except for former senator and Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II and reelectionist Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, the six others in the LP senatorial slate are not known in the national political arena.

Former Quezon Representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, while coming from a prominent political family, is mainly only known in Luzon.  The othes in the LP slate are human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, civic leader Samira Gutoc, lawyer Romulo “Romy” Macalintal, Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano, and former Solicitor General Florin “Pilo” Hilbay.

Robredo also said they are trying to harness the support of the youth “who are still very idealistic.”

“Ito (The youth) iyong mga voters na alam nila na ang binobotohan nila hindi naman iyong mga kandidato pero iyong binobotohan nila, kung ano iyong future nila,” Robredo said./elb