Pacquiao campaigns in Cebu ‘till the wee hours; gets massive show of support despite heavy rains

IT was past 1 am Thursday and it was already raining hard when presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao was welcomed by thousands of rain-drenched supporters at the Balamban Sports Oval in Cebu.

This kind of commitment which is unseen even during the campaign of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to win via landslide during the 2016 elections is fuelling Pacquiao’s confidence to pull a come-from-behind win in this May’s presidential race.

Pacquiao has returned to Cebu Wednesday for a three-day political blitzkrieg to consolidate the support of the vote-rich Visayan province.

After attending the Commission on Election’s panel forum via zoom which was marred by technical glitches, Pacquiao barnstormed across Southern Cebu covering Minglanilla, Talisay, Naga City, and San Fernando, Carcar City, Sibonga, Argao, Toledo, and Balamban.

People poured into the streets to see Pacquiao who also held a series of jampacked people’s rallies in Carcar City, Argao, and Balamban.

“ Grabe ang inyong pagmamahal, CEBU! Inulan na tayo at inabot ng alas dose, pero hindi kayo bumitaw! Mula sa aking puso, maraming maraming salamat sa inyong tiyaga at solid na suporta! “ Pacquiao posted in his Facebook page with 18.6 million followers.

Pacquiao began the second day of his scheduled sorties from Balamban to cover the northern towns of Asturias, Tuburan, Tabuelan, San Remigio, Medellin, Daanbantayan, Bogo, Tabogon, Barbon, Sogod, Catmon, Carmen, Compostella, Danao, Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue and Carbon with a series of caravan and people’s rallies.

Pacquiao’s motorcade from Balamban until his people’s rally in Brgy. Lambusan, San Remigio became an arduous seven-hour journey as people who were waiting for him along the way would block his convoy just to shake his hands. The normal travel time is only 2.5 hours.

Talking to the media before his people’s rally in Brgy. Lambusan, San Remigio, and Pacquiao said the scene of people flooding the streets to welcome him and massive crowd turnouts in his people’s rallies despite the lack of organized mobilization is the true reflection of the people’s sentiment and not the surveys.

“ Diyan mo makikita ang tunay na survey, sa ilalim. Yung damang-dama ng mga mahihirap na tao, damang-dama ng mga nahihirapan na mga pamilya ang aking adbokasiya na para sa kanila itong laban na ito. Hindi ito para sa sarili ko. Para ito sa inyong lahat , laban ninyo ito,” Pacquiao said.

“ Dapat niyo itong ipanalo. Magkaisa kayong lahat. Ipakita natin sa kanila na kukunti yung mayayaman at tayong mahihirap ay marami. Ito na yung pagkakataon, “ Pacquiao said as he stressed that his decision to aspire for the presidency is a revolution of all poor Filipinos.

He said that poor Filipinos have finally realized that they have been used and abused by wealthy politicians who regard politics as a business and not a commitment to serve the people, especially the poor.

He said that the widening gap between the rich and poor has triggered a silent uprising which they now express by supporting his candidacy.

“Tandaan niyo ang laban ni Manny Pacquiao, isa itong rebolusyon para maipanalo ang mga mahihirap na tao. Rebolusyon hindi armas ang gamit kundi ang kamay para i-shade ang balota ngayong May 9 para ang bawat Pilipino, ang bawat pamilya na nahihirapan ay manalo naman,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao also reiterated his call to all Cebuanos for them to support a fellow “Bisaya” and one whose roots are from Cebu.

On Friday, Pacquiao is expected to island-hop in Bantayan, Camotes, Carnaza, and Olanggo before holding a grand rally at 3rd Avenue North Reclamation Area in Cebu City which is the same locatio of Mayor Isko Domagoso’s concert-rally Wednesday.

“Walang ibang magtutulungan kundi kaming mga Bisaya. Ako lang ang Bisaya na tumatakbo pagka-presidente kaya sa mga kapatid ko ma Bisaya, samahan niyp ako,” Pacquiao said in Visayan dialect.