220,000 flock to Robredo’s rally in Pampanga — Police
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 10) — Around 220,000 people attended the campaign rally of presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Senator Francis Pangilinan in San Fernando City, Pampanga on Saturday, according to the local police and rescue team.
Pampanga province is the bailiwick of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who has endorsed the presidential bid of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Robredo said the overwhelming support from the Kapampangans is a demonstration of love for the country.
“Ang tunay na lakas ay hindi manggagaling sa aming mga politiko. Ang tunay na lakas ay hindi manggagaling sa pera o makinarya. Pero ang tunay na lakas ay magmumula sa nagkakaisang taong bayan at ngayong gabi, pinakita ng Pampanga,” Robredo said during the rally.
[Translation: Real strength does not come from us politicians. Real strength does not come from money or machinery. Real strength comes from united people and tonight, Pampanga showed it.]
“Alam niyo naman na talo ako dito noong 2016. Kaya alam niyo, hindi ko man lang panaginip o pangarap na tatayo ako dito sa entablado na ganito kadami ang tao. Pinaparamdam niyo sa amin na hindi niyo lang ako mahal, pero talagang napakalaki ng pagmamahal niyo sa taong bayan,” she added.
[Translation: As you all know, I lost here in the 2016 vice presidential race. You know what, I did not even dream that I will be standing on this stage in front of a huge crowd. You make us feel that you don’t just love me, you also love our countrymen.]
During the rally, the San Nicolas Farmers raised the hands of Robredo and Pangilinan.
“Kahit simpleng tao lang kami na simpleng magsasaka, ipapasa natin si Senator Kiko at Ma’am Leni,” one of the farmers said. “Nagpapasalamat kami sa mga dumalo. Lalo na kami, kahit may trabaho kami, pinilit namin pumunta dito. Wala kaming bayad.”
[Translation: Even though we are just simple farmers, we will go for Senator Kiko and Ma’am Leni. We are thankful to everyone who attended. Even though we have to work, we really wanted to come her. We were not paid.]
The rally was also attended by Pangilinan’s wife, actress and singer Sharon Cuneta, actress Nadine Lustre and other celebrities who performed for the audience.
In the voter preference survey conducted by Pulse Asia on March 17-21, Robredo's numbers rose by nine percentage points, Marcos’ numbers declined by four percentage points, while the rest were almost the same.
CNN Philippines correspondent Anjo Alimario and multi-platform news writer Vince Ferreras contributed to this report
