Pangilinan hopes people’s support will prompt local politicos to back him too
LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines — As local officials back Vice President Leni Robredo for president but leave out her running mate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, he hopes that these politicians will later on be swayed by the groundswell of support from the people.
“The people are coming out in tens of thousands. Politicians feel that, which is why they’re endorsing the vice president,” Pangilinan told reporters partly in Filipino at the sidelines of a mini rally in Maigo, Lanao del Norte.
He continued, “If they feel more of that, then maybe there would come a time that they would also endorse me.”
Much like in previous elections, some politicos are mixing and matching presidential and vice-presidential candidates, as seen in the push for a team-up between Robredo and survey frontrunner Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio called “RoSa.”
Then there is also the push by some quarters for a “LeTi” pairing between Robredo and Senate President Tito Sotto, whose original running mate, presidential candidate Sen. Ping Lacson, has been deserted by his party in favor of the vice president.
Between “RoSa” and “LeTi,” the former is gaining steam among local officials, especially in Mindanao where Robredo and Pangilinan are barnstorming.
There are also local politicians in Eastern Visayas who endorsed Robredo but opted not to back Pangilinan, which prompted him to skip the grand rally in Borongan on Tuesday to ensure that they stick with the vice president.
Despite him failing to secure endorsements from local officials, Pangilinan is largely unfazed, saying that people decide the outcome of elections and not politicians.
“We will let politicians do whatever they want, but we will remain focused on our people since they will be the ones to decide on election day,” he said.
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