HUNDREDS of thousands of supporters on Tuesday filled Guimbal, Iloilo’s football field, and adjacent areas to attend the first of the BBM-Sara UniTeam’s three scheduled miting de avances to round up the 90-day campaign period for the upcoming national and local elections on Monday.
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. who is number 7 in Comelec’s official ballot, told supporters that as the campaign period draws to an end, they are elated that more and more Filipinos have accepted and joined the movement for a united Philippines that they had been calling for since the campaign period took off.
“Hindi pa nagkaroon ng halalan, patapos pa lang tayo sa kampanya ay masasabi ko sa inyo, dahil sa inyong pagmamahal sa inyong kapwa Pilipino, dahil sa inyong pagmamahal sa Pilipinas ay hindi na kayo nagantay na kami ay mahalal at ngayon pa lang ay nadarama na po namin na dahan-dahan po ang pagkakaisa na ng sambayanang Pilipino, dahan-dahan po nararamdaman po namin ang aming pangarap na magkaisa ang Pilipinas,” he said.
Marcos explained that unity is what the country needs to secure a better future for its citizens.
“Itong kilusan na ipapagpatuloy ninyo, ‘yan po ang magbibigay sa atin ng pag-asa na ang ating kinabukasan ay magiging mas maganda kaysa sa ating pinagdaanan natin nitong nakaraang dalawang taon,” he said.
The UniTeam presidential bet’s speech was interspersed with resounding cheers of “Daog na (You already won)!,” “We love you, BBM!!!” or “Landslide na!” from the humongous crowd.
The presidential frontrunner again reiterated how fortunate he was that Mayor Inday Sara Duterte agreed to team up with him as she is the most qualified, capable, hardworking, and sincere in her love of country among all the other vice presidential candidates.
Marcos and Duterte, in their separate speeches, both asked the crowd to vote for them and their senatorial bets in what could be the Philippines’ most pivotal elections so they could fulfill their commitment to steer the country towards a brighter future after the economic battering it received due to the Covid19 pandemic.
“Sa darating na Lunes, nasa kamay ninyo ang kinabukasan ng ating minamahal na Pilipinas. Sa darating na Lunes, nasa kamay ninyo kung anong direksyon, kung saan natin dadalhin ang Pilipinas, kung ano ano ang ninanais natin na maging kinabukasan ng Pilipino, kung saan natin dadalhin ang Pilipinas. Kami po sa UniTeam ay humaharap muli sa inyo na kami ay tulungan ninyo,” Marcos said.
BBM also called on the mammoth crowd to keep the movement for unity alive even after the elections and work with their elected leaders in overcoming whatever problems that the country will face and help steer the nation towards progress.
“Tayo ay magkapit-bisig, hindi lamang ang mga pangkaraniwang mga mamamayan kundi pati na ang mga namumuno ay dapat ay magtulungan at magkapit-bisig para humarap sa kahit pa anong problema. Kahit na matapos po ang halalan, wag po tayong titigil dito sa ating ginagawang kilusan ng pagkakaisa dahil kailangan pa rin ng ating mga kababayan, kailangan pa rin ng ating minamahal na Pilipinas ang inyong pagtulong sa isa’t isa, ang inyong pagmamahal sa isa’t isa, ang inyong kakayahan, sipag, ang lahat ng inyong sakripisyo at trabaho para pagandahin ang buhay ng bawa’t mamamayang Pilipino, pagandahin ang PIlipinas,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Congresswoman Janette Loreto-Garin, whose family supports the UniTeam, said she is confident that Marcos will win in Iloilo even if it is a known bailiwick of the Yellows.
“At the least, 50-50 dito. Pero malaki ang possibility na lumamang pa si BBM dito,” she said.
Meanwhile, her husband, Richard Garin, a former congressman who is now running for mayor in the Municipality of Miagao, expressed belief that it is only Marcos who can help develop the whole country and make it progressive.
He added Marcos’ principles are also aligned with his principles of campaigning for a better Philippines and a better kind of politics.
“Magka-align ang principles namin na magkaroon ng better kind of politics dito, ‘yung hindi nagsisiraan, hindi nagbibitaw ng masasakit na salita. ‘Yan ang dapat ipamana natin sa susunod na henerasyon, This is not a fight between Marcos and his opponents. This is a fight for what is good for Filipinos and what the country really needs,” the former lawmaker said.
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