CEBU CITY, Cebu — Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan expressed his gratitude for the support he gained from notable personalities and groups for his Senate comeback bid.
Pangilinan said Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia’s endorsement earlier in the day is a big boost to his campaign, noting the province’s vote-rich population.
“Malaking bagay ito dahil ang Cebu ang pinakamalaking voting na probinsya sa buong Pilipinas. Malaking bagay ito dahil gaya ng nabanggit ko kanina wala tayong malaking makinarya pero ngayon dahil sa One Cebu, dahil sa endorsement ni Governor Gwen, meron tayong malaking makinarya dito sa Cebu,” he said during his campaign sortie in Cebu City.
(This is a big deal because Cebu is the largest voting province in the entire Philippines. This is big for us because as I mentioned earlier, we don’t have a big machinery but now because of One Cebu, because of Governor Gwen’s endorsement, we have a big machinery here in Cebu.)
Garcia’s endorsement is rooted in long-standing friendship. Pangilinan is the 11th man backed by Garcia’s One Cebu aside from the 10 others from the administration’s senatorial slate.
Before making a speech on stage, Pangilinan said that he was surprised with Garcia’s support despite not being part of the administration’s ticket.
“We were number one here in 2007 […] Now with her support, with the endorsement of One Cebu, we will get more votes here,” he told reporters. “It was a surprise. I was hoping for it.”
Cebu has the most number of registered voters in the country, at over 3.4 million, based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) records.
The Cebu governor’s brother, Cebu 3rd district Representative PJ Garcia, also expressed his support for Pangilinan in this midterm election.
“We need Kiko again in the Senate because he has accomplished a lot as a legislator. The number one issue right now, food security, presyo ng bigas, Kiko Pangilinan can contribute a lot,” he told GMA News Online.
Aside from Gwen, Pangilinan also thanked the endorsement from Christian megachurch Jesus Is Lord and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party.
“Ang ibig sabihin po niyan, hindi po sila nalilinlang ng fake news. Hindi sila naniniwala sa kasinungalingan. Nakita nila ang katotohanan tungkol sa ating kakayahan kaya tayo inendorso at sinusuportahan,” he said.
(That means they are not fooled by fake news. They do not believe the lies. They have seen the truth about our capabilities, which is why they endorse and support us.)
The former senator also acknowledged his celebrity supporters including Vice Ganda, Anne Curtis, Gary Valenciano, and Piolo Pascual.
Far from over
With less than a week before the midterm elections on May 12, Pangilinan made it to the 10-20 bracket with 26.3% voter preference in the latest OCTA Research survey.
However, Pangilinan said that there is still so much to do in the last days of the campaign.
“Every vote counts. Very tight yung fight. Sabi nga nila statistically tied ang pitong kandidato para sa last three slots. It’s a very tight race so we will not let our guard down,” he told reporters.
(Every vote counts. The fight is very tight. They say the seven candidates are statistically tied for the last three slots. It’s a very tight race so we will not let our guard down.)
“Hanggang sa dulo, araw-araw, susuyuin ang iba’t-ibang parte ng bansa. We ask our supporters to do the same. Sabi nga nila the race is far from over. We have to go out, convince others, use social media and endorse us.”
(Until the end, every day, we will go to different parts of the country. We ask our supporters to do the same. They say the race is far from over. We have to go out, convince others, use social media and endorse us.) —RF, GMA Integrated News
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