Vice President Leni Robredo met with volunteers from the 1st District of Batangas in Balayan on Feb. 10, 2022 as she continued on her campaign trail. VP Leni Media Bureau
MANILA — Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday told supporters in Batangas "nothing is impossible", as she hoped to replicate in May's presidential race her huge win in the province in the 2016 elections.
Robredo in the 2016 vice presidential race secured some 500,000 votes in Batangas, around double the 200,000 votes of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., her closest rival then.
Noting she only scored 2 percent in early surveys for the vice presidency, Robredo said, "'Yung Batangas isa sa malaking dahilan kung bakit tayo nanalo... Noong panahon na iyon, wala pang nag-aakala na mananalo ako. Pero dahil sa pagdesisyon din ng mga kasama, nagawa ‘yung akala nating imposible."
(Batangas was a big factor in our triumph. At that time, no one thought I would win. But because of the decision of allies, we did what we thought was impossible.)
"Hindi din imposible na magagawa ulit natin iyon ngayon na 2022. Kaya po nagpapasalamat ako sa inyong lahat... Pero ito po, ayusin natin ‘yung next 88 days at 'pag naayos po natin ito, mapapanalo natin ito," she told supporters in Padre Garcia town.
(It is not impossible for us to do this again in 2022. So I thank all of you. But we need to work on this in the next 88 days, and if we can do that, we can win this.)
Robredo in 2016 had the endorsement of then Batangas governor Vilma Santos-Recto.
Recto, an outgoing House Deputy Speaker, is backing another presidential contender, fellow former actor Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, in this year's elections.
Domagoso has also secured the support of all incumbent Batangas lawmakers and 21 mayors for his presidential bid.
Domagoso and Robredo, however, trail Marcos, 64, in pre-election surveys for the presidency.
"Huwag sana tayong mapagod. Huwag po sana tayong mawalan ng pag-asa," Robredo told Batangueño supporters. "Nagkakaisa tayo lahat dito dahil sa isang paniniwala. At ‘yung paniniwalang iyon, nasa kamay natin ang kapangyarihan."
(I hope we don't get tired. I hope we do not lose hope... All of us here are united by one belief. And that belief is that power is in our hands.)
She also asked supporters to break down online lies.
"Mas mahirap ‘yung hinaharap natin dahil sa social media. ‘Yung social media, maraming mga paniniwala ang nabubuo at karamihan noon ay nakabase sa hindi naman totoo. Pero ang kailangan po natin, magdesisyon tayo. Na ‘yung lahat na hindi totoo, kailangan natin basagin. Dahil kung hindi po natin ito mababasag, kawawa naman ‘yung taumbayan," she said.
(What we face is more difficult because of social media. On social media, many beliefs are formed and most are based on what is not true. But we need to decide to shatter all that is false. Otherwise, the nation will suffer.)
South of Manila, Batangas was home to some 1.7 million voters in 2019.