MANILA (UPDATED) — Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday said she was "excited" to bring her presidential campaign to the so-called "Solid North", a decades-long power base of her rival Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr's family.

Robredo on Saturday will visit Cagayan and Isabela, which were among the northern Luzon provinces where Marcos scored a huge lead against her during the 2016 vice presidential race.

In her last showdown with Marcos Jr., Robredo said it was "suicidal" to visit his bailiwick "in the sense na 'di mo alam kung may haharap sa iyo (that you did not know if anyone would face you)."

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

"Ngayon iba eh. Months before kami pumunta, 'yung mga volunteers doon, sobrang active na," Robredo said. "They may not approximate the numbers na nandoon sa kabilang kampo, pero wala ako nito noon eh."

(It's different this time. Months before our visit, the volunteers there were already very active. They may not approximate the numbers in the other camp, but I did not have this before.)

"Ngayon, parang mas confident ako sa pagbisita, knowing na pagpunta namin may magho-host sa amin, may sasalo sa amin," she said in a chance interview with reporters.

(Now, I'm more confident in visiting, knowing that when we go, someone will host us, catch us.)

Robredo noted her volunteers in Isabela in February protested the removal of her campaign tarpaulins and murals.

• Leni supporters decry mural painted over on Isabela election official’s order

"Excited ako to go, knowing na may mga naglalakas ng loob despite the difficulties," she said of her supporters.

(I'm excited to go knowing that people dared to support me, despite the difficulties.)

Isabela in 2016 delivered some 504,000 votes for Marcos and about 86,000 votes for Robredo.

Neighboring Cagayan boosted Marcos' numbers by some 320,000 votes against Robredo's around 53,000 votes.

• Halalan 2016 Results

Robredo won the vice presidential race with an overall margin of 260,000 against Marcos, her then closest rival. He claimed the race was rigged and contested her victory. The Supreme Court last year threw out his petition.

• How PET unanimously junked Marcos’ election protest vs Robredo

"Ganoon naman 'yun eh, meron talagang mga lugar na naturally sa iyo. Pag punta mo, pumunta ka man o hindi, naturally sa iyo," said Robredo, who hails from Bicol region.

(It's just like that. There are areas that are naturally yours. Whether you go there or not, they are naturally yours.)

• Leni eyes 'solid Bicol' vote; kicks off presidential bid in home turf

"May mga lugar din na kailangan mong mag-exert ng more effort. And 'yung pagpunta sa north, admittedly, kailangan mag-exert ng more effort. Pero wala naman—ako, basta nakapag-reach out tayo sa kanila, better than not going," she continued.

(There are also areas where you need to exert more effort. And in going to the north, admittedly, more effort should be exerted. But there's no—for me, as long as we reached out to them, that is better than not going.)

Robredo campaigned in Romblon on Thursday, which she visited at least three times in the past 6 years of her vice presidency.

Despite having a small voters population of over 198,000 registered in 2019, the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem made the trip to the province where the Office of the Vice President (OVP) initiated different projects.

"Kahit hindi siya vote-rich, every vote counts. Bawat boto mahalaga. Nakikita natin na magiging tight contest ito, so walang lugar na hindi dapat puntahan para makakuha ng boto,” Robredo's running-mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan said.

(Even if Romblon is not vote-rich, every vote counts. We foresee that this will be a tight competition, so no province should be left behin

Among the projects the OVP initiated in the community is a learning hub where children can continue learning under the modular learning set-up brought by the pandemic with the help of tutors and free access to gadgets and WiFi connection.

Robredo also met with the fisherfolk community of Looc, and visited the San Lorenzo Ruiz seminary.

Robredo won the 2016 vice presidency in Romblon with a 30,000 lead over Marcos Jr.

Robredo remains confident she will get the Romblon vote again.

"Over the course of the six years that I was Vice President, tuloy tuloy 'yung programa dito. 'Yung relationship ko dito, hindi lang naman sa mga politicians, pero 'yung relationship ko dito with the communities that we've been helping."

(Over the course of 6 years that I was vice president, we continued our programs here. My relationship with the province goes beyond its politicians, to the communities we have been helping.)

At least 3,000 Romblonanons attended the people's rally in Odiongan City Thursday afternoon.

RELATED VIDEO:

Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv