Supporters of Vice President and presidential bet Leni Robredo on Sunday stormed Emerald Avenue in Pasig City for the Pasiglaban Para sa Tropa Pasig City People’s Rally.
The event organizers said the activity was designed to “highlight Pasig City as a city of courageous and patriotic freedom fighters, with the likes of Jovito Salonga and Rene Saguisag having come from this city.”
According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), there were an estimated crowd of 80,000 people as of 4:30 p.m. yesterday. The crowd had spilled to other streets on Ortigas Avenue.
Six former Health Secretaries on Sunday, March 20, endorsed the presidential bid of Robredo, saying that she was able to show capability to address the people’s primary health care concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first global health crisis in decades.
“As our country struggles to recover from the wide-ranging effects of the pandemic, we need a leader who has demonstrated the values of integrity and caring, has governed wisely and fairly, prioritizes programs for the greater good, understands the processes of government, puts the interests of the country first and executes effectively amidst the complexities of day-to-day governance,” the statement said.
It was signed by Drs. Alfredo Bengzon, Carmencita Reodica, Jaime Galvez Tan, Manuel Dayrit, Esperanza Cabral, and Paulyn Ubial. Their endorsement is the latest addition to the snowballing support for Robredo’s candidacy.
“In the area of health, Vice President Robredo has demonstrated her capability to address the people’s primary health concerns during the pandemic,” the former health officials said.
They emphasized that it is Robredo who is “the foremost candidate to provide a comprehensive pandemic response platform.”
Robredo initiated the distribution of personal protective equipment, shuttle buses, and dormitories for frontline workers, as well as COVID-19 antigen test kits and teleconsultation services – all for free – with the goal of infection prevention.
Robredo meanwhile described as “irreplaceable” her immersion in communities during her presidential campaign.
Since the campaign officially began on February 8, Robredo said she has been to different parts of the country, visiting provinces, cities, towns, and even the smallest barangays, starting her day as early as 7 a.m. so that she can reach as many communities as possible.
Last week, she went to Malamawi Island in Basilan. Its population is only a little over 2,000, almost half of whom are women. Robredo was the first presidential candidate to ever visit the community.
Robredo visits the smallest, poorest, and farthest communities to listen to the marginalized communities, whether it’s the elections or not.
And visiting the sectors has been Robredo’s practice, elections or not.
Robredo, who was a public interest lawyer before she entered politics, said that when she was a representative for Camarines Sur’s third district, the legislations she crafted were driven by her commitment to help the poor and eradicate corruption.
Until she became Vice President, Robredo said her programs remained focused on addressing poverty.