Vice President Leni Robredo late on Thursday told supporters in the country's most vote-rich province of Cebu the outcome of the May elections would be decided by the electorate, not the endorsement of local politicians.
Robredo acknowledged the chant of the crowd that "There's no One Cebu (Walang One Cebu)", in reference to the party of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who endorsed rival presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
"Siguro walang One Cebu ng mga politiko, pero may One Cebu ng ordinaryong Cebuano. At ngayong gabi, pinapakita natin na ang kapangyarihan nasa kamay natin," Robredo told some 150,000 attendees based on estimates by local PNP and organizers.
NEWS YOU CAN USE: LIST: Heads of Vote-Rich Provinces, Cities Who Endorsed Presidential Bets
Cebu province has 3.08 million registered voters while second-placer Cavite has 2.15 million based on Comelec data. Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla has also endorsed Marcos, the only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Sr.
"Paminsan po may pag alinlangan. Papaano kaya 'yan mukhang karamihan sa mga politiko nagsamasama na? Paano kaya 'yan wala tayong pera, wala tayong makinarya? Pero ngayong gabi, pinakita natin, walang sinabi ang pera at makinarya sa nagkakaisang taumbayan," Robredo said.
Robredo told the crowd that even outside the election season, she helped Cebu through typhoons and the pandemic as vice president.
"Pero bakit ko po ito kinu-kwento sa inyo? Kinu-kwento ko po ito sa inyo dahil ito 'yung aming resibo. Resibo na kahit walang eleksyon, nandito kami kasama ninyo, pag kinakailangan ninyo kami," she said.
Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.