Leni-Kiko tandem draws massive 65k crowd in Bataan people’s rally

VP Robredo and Senator Pangilinan are surprised by the massive turnout of their campaign rally in Balanga City, Bataan, amid the absence of local politicians.

Local executives were missing yesterday, April 19, at the Leni-Kiko people’s rally in Balanga City, Bataan, but that did not keep Bataeños from making an impressive show of force. 

Vice President Leni Robredo notably lost to his chief rival, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in the province in the 2016 vice-presidential elections by 100,000 votes. In Balanga City, Robredo only managed to get more than 8,000 votes. She also lost to Marcos in all other municipalities of the province.

The 65,000 people her team was able to muster that day is just 20,000 short of matching the votes she gathered in the province in the last presidential election.

“Hindi namin isusuko ang Bataan (We will not surrender Bataan),” one of the catchiest slogans said, a nod to the historic fall of Bataan to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942. During the said rally.

During the event, VP Robredo and Senator Pangilinan received personal endorsement from various sectors in the province, who went up to the stage to raise their hands in lieu of many local politicians, who already pledged support for Robredo’s main rival, the defeated 2016 vice presidentiable Marcos Jr.

Bataan, which has been long-considered to be a ‘Solid North’ province–is xpected to be an ‘interesting’ battle ground between Robredo and Marcos Jr. 

The former dictator’s son may have already secured the backing of local politicians, but Robredo’s campaign in the province, got a last-minute boost from the province’s lawyers, priests, and indigenous peoples, who altogether raised both the vice-presidentiable and presidentiable’s hands.

“”Makikita niyo dito sa inyong harapan ang bumubuo ng mahigit 90% ng kaparian ng Bataan. Kami po ay nagpapagabay sa aming panalangin at pagninilay-nilay at kami po ay tumutugon sa tawag na manindigan para sa bayan — para kayna Senator Kiko at Vice President Leni,(As you can see, we comprise 90% of all priests in Bataan. We are guided by prayers and meditation, and we are responding to the call to make a stand for the country)” Rev. De Leon, who led the entire Bataan clergy, said.

Other local religious groups and organizations also pledged to deliver their support for the Leni-Kiko tandem in the 2022 national elections.