BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The number of participants in the “People’s Rally” of presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo at the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City, which is under scrutiny in social media, does not matter anymore for Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Lacson, who along with Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, welcomed Robredo and vice-presidential candidate, Senator Francis Pangilinan in San Carlos City, disclosed that the grand rally of VP Leni redo at the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City was “successful.”
“It does not matter what the total number was, it can already be considered a successful day for VP Leni here in Negros Occidental,” Lacson, who also joined the grand rally at the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod City, said.
Organizers of the Leni-Kiko grand rally claimed the crowd in and out of Paglaum Stadium reached 70,000, Sagay City -20,000, Kabankalan City – 5,000, San Carlos City- 4,000, Binalbagan and La Carlota – 3,500 each and Himamaylan City-1,000.
Asked if the numbers would mean votes for the candidates, Lacson said that the numbers in both rallies, will definitely gave encouragement to both presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Former Gov. Rafael Coscolluela, who chairs the Robredo People’s Council in Negros Occidental, in his social media account said he totally overwhelmed by the March 11 Leni-Kiko sortie in Negros Occidental.
Coscolluela thanked Negrenses, whom he said became part of the March 11 “Day of Hope.”
Lacson and Coscolluela were joined by Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III, Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr, Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and Himamaylan City Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao in the grand rally of Robredo’s “Angat Team” at the Paglaum Stadium.
In Sagay City, former Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon and Second District Rep. Rafael Leo Cueva also welcomed Robredo and her “Angat Team.”
Lacson also said that Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, who heads the political campaign of rival presidential candidate, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, sent him a text message, congratulating him for a successful rally.
Ferrer and Lacson earlier pledged to respect their respective choices of presidential candidates.
In her social media account, Robredo said that she just got home from a six-day campaign trail which brought them to eight provinces, including Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Romblon, Negros Occidental, Cagayan and Isabela.
“Gruelling days that start at 6am and end late at night. Not complaining, though, because we were always in the midst of our tireless volunteers and amazing crowds,” Robredo said.
“We are practically living in a suitcase. Sundays are for laundry and paper work,” she said, adding that they are bracing for another week of campaigning starting March 14.*
