Liberal Party standard bearer Mar Roxas (4th from left) and Senate President Franklin Drilon endorse (from left) Samsam Gullas for Congress 1st District, Kristine Chiong for mayor of Naga City, and Mayor Val Chiong during a rally in Naga City, Cebu organized by Alayon party of former congressman Eduardo Gullas, who is running for mayor in Talisay City. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II yesterday belittled the one-million vote difference promised by One Cebu party to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, saying it was made by “discredited politicians.”
He was confident that the Cebuanos would choose him because Cebuanos are intelligent voters who would go for candidates who could improve the economy and provide jobs.
He said Cebuanos have seen how Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and the entire slate of the “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path)” run the provincial government.
“The Cebuanos have seen the infrastructure worth billions of pesos here. They have felt how they were taken care of by PhilHealth, the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) and other programs,” he told reporters in Filipino after his campaign sortie at the Enan Chiong Activity Center in the City of Naga, about 20 kilometers south of Cebu City.
One Cebu, which is led by the Garcias, has thrown its support to Duterte and promised to deliver a one-million vote margin for the Davao mayor.
Roxas said he was confident that Cebuanos would select him because he had the programs to boost the country’s economy unlike Duterte.
“Papaano pauunlarin ni Digong ang ekonomiya kung ang kanyang abiso sa mga negosyante ay bayaran yung revolutionary tax sa mga NPA na rebelde na siyang sumisira sa ekonomiya. Yan ang kaibahan ni Mar Roxas at ni Digong Duterte (How can Duterte improve the economy when his advice to businessmen is to pay revolutionary taxes of the New People’s Army who is destroying the economy? That is the difference between Mar Roxas and Digong Duterte),” he said.
Governor Davide, for his part, assured Roxas that they have the machinery and would campaign harder so the LP standard bearer would win in Cebu.
Another factor that would boost Roxas’ candidacy, he added, is the support of the Gullas-led Alayon Party which dominates the first legislative district comprised of the cities of Carcar, Naga and Talisay and the towns of Minglanilla, San Fernando and Sibonga.
Nearly 3,000 supporters attended Roxas’s sortie in the City of Naga, about 20 kilometers south of Cebu City, on Friday morning.
Rep. Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, in a text message, said they would show their support to Roxas by including his name in their sample ballots and campaign for him during their pulong-pulong in the villages.
But the congressman said they could not give the same commitment to Roxas’ running mate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, since they still belong to the Nacionalista Party, which is supporting the vice-presidential bids of Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.