JE C.C.
The grand people’s rally in the most vote-rich province in the country did not fall short as Robredo and Pangilinan got surprised by an enormous Cebuano crowd.
A solid Kakampink crowd was mustered by Vice President and presidentiable Leni Robredo and Senator and vice-presidentiable Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan, during their grand people’s rally in Cebu, on Thursday, April 22. The tandem first staged a people’s rally in the Queen City of the South, Cebu in March.
This time, the entire Tropang Angat wooed the people of Mandaue City.
Before the event, reports about transportation problems, with at least 18 buses supposedly to bring attendees to the venue, had their permits canceled by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Although the said office promptly denied the allegations about the move being politically motivated, one can’t deny how bizarre a coincidence the cancellation was. That said, the Cebuano proved to be resourceful, as attendees from different parts of the province still made it to North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.
Dubbed as Ceboom!, the grand Leni-Kiko rally in the province saw both staple and new performers.
Kim Chiu, a Cebuana, made her first appearance in a Leni-Kiko rally, just days after receiving a personal birthday message from her presidential bet. Cherry Pie Picache and Pokwang led the list of the event’s official hosts. Ben & Ben, Rivermaya, and other local bands engaged and energized the crowd with ecstatic performances.
Of course, the highlight of the entire program is undoubtedly VP Robredo finally addressing the crowd.
Estimates for the crowd size went from 50,000 to 250,000.
Police Lt. Colonel Franco Oriol, deputy director for operations of the Mandaue City Police Office, placed his estimate at just around 50,000, noting that the surface area used was just 4 hectares. He claimed that only 1/4 of each hectare was packed with people, hence his 50,000 estimate.
Judging the drone shots, however, one can say that such a claim is far from reality, as all quadrants of each hectare appeared to be brimming with spectators. Reports from journalists and organizers place the crowd estimate at above 100,000.
Ricky Ballesteros, one of the local organizers, argued in a facebook post, that the venue burst with more or less 250,000 people.
“The area is 52,659 square meters multiplied by four or five persons in a square meter. The estimated crowd at the Grand Rally for Leni-Kiko is more or less 250,000 at the North Reclamation Area,” his facebook post reads.
Another police official,, however, placed the final crowd estimate at 150,000, which was adopted by the local organizers for its press release. The size of the venue of the Ceboom rally is bigger than the venue used by the recent BBM-Sara Festival Rally in Cebu, which organizers reported to have attracted 300,000 people.
