CJ POLITICS

VP LENI STUMPS THROUGH BULACAN; OVER 45,000 SUPPORTERS, FIREWORKS WELCOME HER AT PEOPLE'S RALLY


VP LENI STUMPS THROUGH BULACAN; OVER 45,000 SUPPORTERS, FIREWORKS WELCOME HER AT PEOPLES RALLY
Another explosive evening for presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo, this time in the nation’s fireworks center, Bulacan.

Over 45,000 supporters packed the grounds outside the New Malolos City Hall for a People’s Rally for Robredo, her running mate, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, and their senatorial slate, on Saturday night, March 5.

The rally was the culmination of the busy day Robredo and her team spent touring the province, which included stops in San Jose Del Monte City, Santa Maria, Bocaue, and Guiguinto. Bulacan is number five on the list of the top vote-rich provinces in the country, with just over 2 million registered voters.

Robredo’s first stop that morning was in San Jose Del Monte city where over a thousand supporters clad in pink welcomed her bright and early to Barangay Minuyan IV.

“Ano yun? ‘Mga puyat for Leni.’ Kasama ako diyan,” she said, reading a handmade placard out loud.
“Lahat kami dito sa stage, puyat dahil nasa Cavite po kami hanggang hatinggabi hanggang madaling araw. Pero kahit puyat, masayang masaya kami kasi kasama namin kayong lahat ngayong umaga,” Robredo said.

A day earlier, after 19 hours of stumping through Cavite, Robredo drew 47,000 people to the General Trias Sports Park in Cavite, her biggest campaign crowd yet.

Robredo then headed to Guiguinto, Bulacan to meet privately with the Carmelite sisters, after which she joined hundreds of supporters, including religious leaders and the clergy, in praying the rosary at the Immaculate Concepcion Major Seminary. She led the rosary’s fifth Joyful Mystery, and later asked everyone to fight disinformation and propaganda for the country’s sake.

“Ang pinaka problema po natin ngayon, maraming mga paniniwala, mga mind-sets, mga values nayurakan because of all the fake news and propaganda that is available online. Hindi po namin kayang labanan ito na kami lang, kailangan po namin kayong lahat,” she said, adding:
“One of the reasons why lumalapit po kami sa simbahan kasi alam po natin kung ano 'yung influence ng simbahan sa flock. Alam natin na pag ang simbahan ang gumalaw, 'yung respeto ng flock ay nasa ating mga ka-parian at ka-madrehan matulungan 'yung mga kababayan natin ma-discern 'yung right from wrong. Ito po 'yung pinupush natin na konsepto ng radikal na pagmamahal.”

In Malolos, Robredo joined Bulacan governor Daniel Fernando and Sen. Joel Villaneva in paying tribute to over 3,000 mothers at the assembly of Lingkod Lingap sa Nayon (LLN) Mother Leaders of Bulacan, in celebration of International Women’s Month.

“Ang atin pong pangarap na hindi lang tayo naaalala pag March, pag Women's Month, pero 'yung mga asawa natin, 'yung mga anak natin, na-aappreciate 'yung ginagawa natin sa pang araw-araw dahil wala pong biro 'yung sakripisyong ginagawa ng mga kababaihan at mga nanay,”Robredo said, as she shared her own trials as a widowed single mother of three, and as Vice President of the nation.

“'Yung Office of the Vice President, napakaliit lang naman ng aming pondo, napakaliit ng aming mandato pero dahil isang nanay po ako na sanay naghahanap ng paraan, sanay na nagba-budget ng pera, sanay na pinagkakasya ang pera kahit po napakaliit ng pondo namin, marami po kaming mga natulungan sa buong bansa,” she said. “In fact, dito po sa Bulacan, napakarami pong proyektong naibaba dito, hindi lang para sa mga kababaihan pero pati para sa mga drivers noong pandemic, para po sa mga frontliners, para sa mga magsasaka, para sa mga mangingisda.”

The culminating People’s Rally was headlined by iconic band Truefaith, who, like other celebrities participating in Robredo’s sorties, performed free of change.

When asked why the band was filling to forego their usual talent fees, Truefaith lead singer Medwin Marfil said it is something the band feels very strongly about.

“We miss good governance. We want people who lead us who have good morals, who are competent, who are not corrupt, talagang tapat sa tao, talagang may paninindigan. may paniniwala na maayos,” said Marfil. “This is not just a political campaign, but a movement. And since it's happening right now, it's snowballing, we'd love to be a part of it…kasi kung anuman ang values na ini-espouse ni VP Leni saka ni Kiko Pangilinan, naka-align kami doon, paniniwala din namin 'yun, kaya kami nandito.”

Singer Kuh Ledesma emphasized too that she was not paid to participate in the rally. “Hindi kami bayad, hindi kami bayad, hindi kami bayad,” she chanted. “Ang ating pinaglalaban natin dito, hindi na trabaho, kundi prinsipiyo. Di ba? Kasi ang bayan na natin ang ating pinaglalaban dito.”

When Robredo took centerstage, she reminded her supporters, many of them young people, to reach out to others who may think differently from them.
“Ang pakiusap ko lagi sa mga kabataan, magmahal ng radikal. Anong gustong sabihin? Huwag po natin aawayin iyong mga naniniwala sa fake news, pero mag-extend po tayo ng ating pasensya, mag-extend po tayo ng ating mga kamay para siguraduhin na ipapaintindi natin sa mga naniniwala na hindi makakabuti sa atin kung ang eleksyon na ito, madedesiyunan base sa kasinungalingan,” she said.
“Totoong mahirap ang eleksyon na ito pero ang nagbibigay sa amin ng lakas ng loob at inspirasyon, kayo,” Robredo said. “'Yung pagmamahal ninyo, 'yung pagsasakripisyo ninyo, 'yung kahandaan niyong samahan kami sa laban na ito, doon po kami humuhugot ng lakas at inspirasyon.”

The evening ended with a spectacular display of fireworks bathing the Bulacan night sky in colorful light amid thunderous applause and cheers from the 45,000-strong audience.


-, April 7, 2023




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