Police: 25K supporters attend Barug’s miting de avance

Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, standard bearer of Partido Barug-PDP Laban, waves to the crowd during their miting de avance on May 8, 2019 at Barangay San Nicolas. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The San Nicolas Police Station in Cebu City claimed on late Wednesday night that more or less 25,000 people attended the miting de avance of Cebu City’s opposition party, Partido Barug-PDP Laban.

Police Major Kenneth Albotra, San Nicolas Police Station chief, told CDN Digital in an interview that they had a difficult time doing a crowd estimate during the rally because the people filled a long stretch of C. Padilla Street and its adjacent streets stretching up to the edge of the Taboan market.

Despite the long stretch, Albotra said he placed the number of people between 20,000 and 25,000 during different periods in the almost four hour rally from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. peaking at around 10 p.m., which recorded an estimate of 25,000 people.

Read more: Scenes from Partido Barug’s, Alayon’s miting de avance and a BO-PK rally

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, the standard bearer of Partido Barug-PDP Laban, said that he was overwhelmed by the number of people whom he claimed came on their own accord.

“Wala gyod niy hakot-hakot. Wala mi nanghatag kwarta. Mao gani gisugdan namog alas otso aron dili na mi makapakaon tawn. Nalipay lang gyod mi nga nitambong ang mga tawo,” said Labella in a press conference after the event.

(We did not provide service vehicles. We did not give out money. That’s why we started at 8 p.m. because we couldn’t afford to feed the supporters. We are simply happy that a lot of people came to our rally.)

Read more: Partido Barug vows ‘no hakot’ crowd on Wednesday’s miting de avance

Labella said that supporters from the mountain barangays came to miting de avance despite the distance they had to travel.

He also said that least 1,500 habal-habal drivers also attended the event showing their support to the opposition slate.

“This is a manifestation of the love, respect, and support extended to us. Love begets love,” said Labella.

The miting de avance was tagged as Martsa sa Kausaban by the party encouraging the voters to change the incumbent officials, most of whom are running under the administration party, Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan (BO-PK).

Actors such as Annabelle Rama, the cousin of vice mayoral candidate, Michael “Mike” Rama, came to campaign for the party as well.

Annabelle was with her husband, Eddie Gutierrez, and their daughter, Ruffa Gutierrez.

Local artists such as singer Kurt Fick also came to the event to entertain the crowd.

The Pulihi na, Cebu! movement was present although no banners of the movement, which aims to educate the Cebuano youth on the pressing issues in the city, was seen during the event.

However, various young participants of the miting de avance and speakers wore the iconic logo of the movement, a yellow O with a red X on a black background.

Read more: Dino: No ‘trickery’ in Pulihi na, Cebu! concert

Former city mayor, now vice mayoral candidate, Michael Rama said in earlier statements that the movement was expected to increase their numbers during the rally.

The Pulihi na, Cebu! showed an open support to Labella since its launch on May 1 during a controversial free concert at the IC3 Pavillion.

The miting de avance was the last major campaign of Barug before the May 13 elections on Monday./dbs