DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters “have flooded” One Cebu’s headquarters at Pope John Paul II Avenue in Cebu City ever since the party confirmed its support to his presidential bid last week.
“We are providing logistical support for their operations now. With One Cebu (present) as a political organization, we can provide them with direction and their reach is now wider,” One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia said in yesterday’s 888 News Forum.
Garcia said volunteers are now more focused and effective. He said he was surprised to know that many volunteer organizations in Cebu are supporting Duterte without a single centavo spent by the mayor.
Since Sunday this week, Garcia said volunteers have come to the local party’s office to thank him and other leaders as well to ask for One Cebu campaign materials and funding.
“Even with very little logistical support, they are already committed campaigners for Duterte for president and hopefully some of them for Garcia for governor,” he said.
Among the volunteer groups for Duterte in Cebu are Doctors for Duterte and Cebu for Duterte Movement.
These volunteer groups sell shirts, wristbands and fans, among other items, to sustain their campaign in Cebu.
In the same forum, Garcia also announced that he was supporting Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon for senator.
“When he filed his certificate of candidacy, he was the first candidate to call me to ask for my support. That was in October last year. I told him I am committed to him,” said Garcia.
Aside from Gordon, Garcia is also supporting two senatorial candidates but he refused to name the other two.
Gordon, who is running under the Bagumbayan Party, said he welcomes Garcia’s support.
“I went to school with (former Cebu City mayor) Alvin Garcia and I worked with Gwendolyn (sister) and their father (former congressman Pablo Garcia). We go back a long way. My relationship with Cebu also goes back a long way,” said Gordon, who was also present in yesterday’s news forum.
Rex Fernandez, Cebu for Duterte campaign manager, said One Cebu’s support strengthens legal engagement “but there is no engagement for a unified campaign.”
Garcia said he supports Duterte’s presidential bid on one condition: if Duterte becomes president and he becomes governor of Cebu, Duterte will fully support his infrastructure projects.
The One Cebu chair said he isn’t expecting an endorsement from Duterte or even money from the mayor’s party, the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).