A lecture about respect and inclusivity rendered a small group of BBM-Sara supporters speechless, who gatecrashed Robredo’s mini-rally in Villasis, Pangasinan.
”Ang Pilipino sanay na rumespeto kahit ano ang paniniwala. Ang magsasalba sa atin ay hindi ang mga gusto nating mga kandidato, kundi ang pagkakaisa nating lahat (It is inherent for Filipinos to respect despite the differences in our beliefs. It is not the candidates we are rooting for, who can save us, but our unity)” reminded Vice President leni Robredo when a small group of Bongbong Marcos’s supporters briefly made a scene at her mini-rally in Villasis Pangasinan.
Before Robredo’s turn, the said group heckled at Senator Kiko Pangilinan’s speech. They chanted the young Marcos’s name from the back. Some ‘Kakampinks’ even momentarily engaged the gatecrashing young loyalists of the 2016 defeated vice-presidentiable before the local police had the situation under control.
Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has repeatedly declared that his team does not engage in negative campaigning. His supporters were aggressively rounding up social media pages to express their support for the son of the late dictator; very often than not, they get called out for hurling insults against their presidential bet’s rivals.
Netizens praised Robredo for her “chill” behavior and for she turned the situation in her favor.
She even allowed her to [somewhat] impart a positive message to the uninvited guests.
On twitter, Neri Colmenares, senatoriable under the 1SAMBAYAN slate, expressed his admiration to the Vice President’s moving gesture. “Kahapon, nakita natin na imbes na paalisin, isnabin o bastusin, may respeto at pag-unawa na hinarap ni VP Lebni ang mga supporters ni BBM. Ito ang sandigan ng tunay na pagkakaisa. Kaya sana iboto natin siya at mga katulad niya (Yesterday, we saw how VP Leni confronted the young BBM supporters with respect and understanding, instead of ignoring them, disrespecting them, and casting them away. This is the foundation of the true unity, and this is why I am urging you to vote for her and every candidate who follows her example)” he tweeted.
Kahapon, nakita natin na imbes na paalisin, isnabin o bastusin, may respeto at pag-unawa na hinarap ni VP Leni ang mga supporters ni BBM. Ito ang sandigan ng tunay na pagkakaisa. Kaya sana iboto natin siya at mga katulad niya. 👆✌️✊️👊https://t.co/tzo3DQlDqi
— Neri Colmenares⚖️ #BayanMunaPartylist (@ColmenaresPH) April 9, 2022
Rannie Cruz, a twitter user, commended Robredo and hoped that the young Marcos supporters learned something valuable. “Buti nga po di sila umalis nung nagsalita na si Mam Leni, nakinig po sila sa kanyang talumpati. Sana may napulot na aral (It’s just nice to know that they stayed when VP was delivering her speech. Here’s hoping they learned something)” she shared in her post.
Buti nga po di sila umalis nung nagsalita na si Mam Leni, nakinig po sila sa kanyang talumpati. Sana may napulot na aral
— Mr. Tampalpuke (@RannieCruz5) April 9, 2022
The Villasis mini-rally was just one of the Leni-Kiko’s several stopovers before the grand rally attended by 60,000 ‘Kakampinks’ in Dagupan, Pangasinan, on April 8.