MANILA - Despite headlining a Labor Day caravan they did not organize, presidential candidate Sen. Ping Lacson and his running-mate Sen. Tito Sotto said Sunday they found the response they received during the motorcade across 7 cities in Metro Manila “very encouraging”.
The 5-hour-long caravan rode through Quezon City, Caloocan City, Manila, San Juan City, Mandaluyong City, Pasig City, and Marikina City.
Lacson and Sotto shook hands with commuters and pedestrians while their companions tossed t-shirts and campaign accessories.
Riding in 2 other floats ahead of the candidates were celebrities Vic Sotto, the elder Sotto’s brother; Jose Manalo, their noontime show co-host; and Marc Pingris, Vic Sotto’s basketball player son-in-law.
While not all the areas they passed, particularly highways, had crowds meeting them, Lacson described the response they encountered as “very heartening”.
“Meron naman yung talagang hinahabol pa kami at nagbubukas pa ng bintana. And yung ibang pedestrians kita naman yung responses kung sino ang talagang sincere ang pagsuporta at kita rin naman namin yung magwe-wave ka tapos parang deadma lang malamang hindi sa amin yun,” Lacson said.
Sotto said this was expected from a “spontaneous” motorcade like this one.
A number of supporters of his son Gian, the re-electionist vice mayor of Quezon City, came out for the motorcade along Commonwealth Avenue.
“Hindi namin style para pakitang tao na maraming pumupunta, sumusuporta—hindi namin style yun eh,” he said.
“May area na konti lang pero wala akong narinig na sumigaw na masama, wala ako narinig na sumigaw ng ibang pangalan kundi Lacson-Sotto.”
The tandem had previously stated their preference for meeting-based campaigns over motorcades.
However, Lacson said they could not refuse the invitation of transport groups Pasang Masda, Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), and Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), who put up the motorcade.
The groups’ members brought their jeepneys and motorcycles to the caravan.
Lacson and Sotto said the groups had offered their endorsement to the tandem even though they did not court them.
FINAL STRETCH
With a week left to the campaign period, Lacson said they are still banking on their current style of campaigning such as town-hall dialogues to convince voters to choose them.
“Iyon ang self-satisfaction na somehow merong na-accomplish yung voters education. Enlightenment ng voters na hindi kulay ang pinag-uusapan kundi mga plataporma, kundi mga issues na kaya palang sagutin ng isang kumakandidato,” Lacson said.
He added they also have 500,000 listed volunteers wooing people on the ground.
“Mga looban ang target nila, they don't concentrate on highways or major thoroughfares. Ang pinapasok nila yung liblib, sa tingin namin yung ang mga bumoboto na hindi nararating ng ibang kandidato,” Lacson said.
The tandem plans to continue visiting other regions in the final stretch of the campaign, but will remain flexible with their schedule.
Lacson said preparations are also underway for their miting de avance, which they plan to hold in 2 different locations across 2 days, possibly one in Metro Manila and in Lacson’s native Cavite.
Their focus in the miting de avance, he said, will still be what they have been pushing for the past 90 days of the campaign: encouraging voters to focus on issues and track record in choosing their next leaders.
FROM THE ARCHIVES