Leni-Kiko camp welcomes IM Pilipinas shift of support, unfazed with survey results

Aika Robredo, daughter of Presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, is in Cebu City to campaign for the Leni-Kiko camp. |Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Leni-Kiko tandem camp welcomed the sudden shift of support on Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas to the presidential candidacy of Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo from supporting Manila Mayor Isko Moreno-Domagoso.

The Vice President’s daughter, Aika Robredo, was in Cebu on April 8, 2022, along with John and Ella Pangilinan, the younger brother and niece of Vice Presidential candidate, former Senator Francisco “Kiko” Pangilinan, to campaign for the Leni-Kiko tandem down to the grassroots.

Aika said that this support for “unity” behind her mother’s presidency was a welcome development in the campaign because this was what Robredo had always called for.

“Actually even before my Mom announced that she will be running for president, she was already seeking unity across players. I think yung definition of unity, as we progressed, lumawak na siya eh, yung mga volunteers natin, mga supporters natin, lahat naman po welcome,” said Aika.

(Actually even before my Mom announced that she will be running for president, she was already seeking unity across players. I think that is the definition of unity, as we progressed, it became wider, our volunteers, our supporters, everybody is welcome.)

“Tayo naman, we focus on the things we have in common at hinahanap natin kung ano ang pinaglalaban natin na magkakapareho. Kasi hindi naman talaga all the time mag-aagree tayo on all issues. But we focus on the things that bind us together,” she said.

(For us, we focus on things we have in common at we find what we both are fighting for. Because it is not all the time that we agree on issues. But we focus on the things that bind us together.)

IM Pilipinas Visayas Chapter has shifted support to Robredo in hopes to prevent Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr., from winning the presidency. The group believes that Robredo has the biggest chance among all candidates to overtake Marcos Jr.’s popular votes.

Aiko said that all kinds of support would be welcome at this point of the campaign, which was also why they continued to go house-to-house in hopes that they could convince more people to trust in the Leni-Kiko tandem.

“Kami kasi naniniwala na in the end, makukuha natin yung unity not just different political groups but really across everybody,” she said.

(We believe that in the end, we can all get unity not just different political groups but really across everybody.)

Aika Robredo and John and Ella Pangilinan print their own Leni-Kiko shirts in the Cebu City Leni-Kiko campaign volunteer headquarters in Cebu City. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

Meanwhile, the Leni-Kiko camp is unfazed by the results of the recent Pulse Asia Survey showing Robredo in second place of the Presidential race and Pangilinan in the third place of the Vice Presidential race.

John said that they look at the positive sight of the surveys with Robredo’s results jumping from 15 to 24 percent in just a month. Pangilinan’s results increased by 4 points as well from 11 to 15 percent.

“It challenges everybody. There is a very strong development as far as Leni is concerned, a ten-point gain, that’s a lot. That’s from February to March. Kiko also gained 4 points. It looks intimidating but there are gains in the process. The only solution there is we continue the fight. There is no other way but up,” he said.

John also weighed in on the argument that surveys had detrimentally affected the voting behavior of Filipinos because survey results mind conditions voters on who to vote.

Vice Presidential candidate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto, III, said recently that surveys should be regulated during election period to avoid mind conditioning the voters.

John said that there were bogus surveys that were meant to persuade voters into voting a certain candidate, but there were also surveys that were bankable.

“We recognize the credible ones. I know there are those creating surveys trying to mind condition, yan ang sinasabi natin na maraming nagfa-fake news (that is what we are saying that there are a lot of fake news). We are challenging the people to be mindful because people are using all vile means to deter the agenda,” he said.

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