The provincial government of Tawi-Tawi, through the ruling Tawi-Tawi One Party (TOP), on Monday passed a resolution adopting presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running-mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, as its official bets for the 2022 national polls.
In a one-page resolution signed by all local officials of the province headed by Tawi-Tawi Gov. Yshmael “Mang” Sali, chairman of TOP, the leaders said they decided to throw their support behind Marcos and Duterte-Carpio because they are confident that the tandem could hasten progress in the province and ensure quick recovery from pandemic.
“The province of Tawi-Tawi was not spared from the effects and devastation brought by the global pandemic. TOP believes that through unity, the Filipino people can rise again and achieve economic progress,” the resolution said.
The group also said the platform of programs of the UniTeam, particularly the call for unifying leadership, job creation and the concrete plan to recover from the pandemic were all aligned and beneficial to the province.
Sali also announced that all the mayors of the 11 municipalities in Tawi-Tawi have also sworn their full support to the UniTeam.
“This support is very important. It is also a great thing to show people that more and more people are joining us. Not only the people but also the political leaders of course in various provinces are increasing,” Marcos said.
In Masbate, local political leaderd have set aside their rivalries to rally behind the tandem.
Marcos visited the province on Saturday and conducted a caravan heading to Freedom Park in front of the Masbate Provincial Hall, where a grand rally was held.
Joining him in the motorcade were Gov. Antonio Kho and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) provincial chairman Ruben Jude Lim, who were political rivals but opted to both support the UniTeam tandem.
“As our president [Marcos] called for us to unite, all Filipinos must unite so we Masbateños take that to heart. Our president’s goal is for us Masbateños to make the development of our province easier,” said Lim.
“We also thank PFP provincial chairman RJ Lim, and besides our local political struggle, we will be supporting a common candidate for president and vice president respectfully,” Kho said.