HEADLINE | MANILA- 3 prexy bets hit Robredo camp
FIGHT TO FINISH Presidential candidates (from left) Manila Mayor Francis ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso, former national security adviser Norberto Gonzales and Sen. Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson. PHOTO BY J. GERARD SEGUIA
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THREE presidential candidates on Sunday vowed to fight to the end as they blasted the camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo for allegedly trying to persuade them to drop out of the race.
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Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former Defense secretary Norberto Gonzales held a joint press conference at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City to declare their commitment to stay in the presidential derby.
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They were joined by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto 3rd and Dr. Willie Ong, the running mates of Lacson and Domagoso, respectively.
They said fellow presidential bet Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao also received feelers for him to withdraw but shared their sentiment to finish the campaign.
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Leni camp denies asking Lacson to quit
Lacson, Domagoso, and Gonzales urged the public not to set them aside since the race is not just between survey frontrunner Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Robredo, who has consistently placed a distant second to Marcos in voter-preference polls.
Lacson said he was offered financial considerations in exchange for his withdrawal but did not go into details.
“Sinu-subvert na natin ang will ng electorate maski wala pang halalan (This is an attempt to subvert the will of the electorate even before election day),” he said.
“We’re emphasizing that nobody will withdraw. We’ll go all the way till May 9, come what may. Let’s not buy their propaganda, no matter how foul and below the belt,” he said.
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Lacson earlier claimed former Quezon City mayor Brigido “Jun” Simon Jr. tried to talk him into quitting in favor of Robredo.
“They are trying to strip us of our supporters and support groups,” he said, referring to his former party Partido Reporma and Domagoso’s “Ikaw Na” shifting support to Robredo.
Sotto expressed full support for the stand of Lacson, Domagoso and Gonzales to stay the course.
Asked if they called the joint briefing because they hate Robredo, Lacson said, “Hindi (No). I’d like to emphasize, with due respect, this is not an anti-Leni press conference.” “Ang liwanag nga ng mensahe namin (Our message is clear). We are offering ourselves. We don’t want Marcos to win because (we’ll end up in) destabilization. Ito ‘yung aming (This is our) analysis (of) Secretary Gonzales, coming from the security sector,” he said.
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Isko to Leni: Withdraw
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Lacson reiterated his disbelief at the presumption that over half of the population are Marcos loyalists.
“It’s not about percentages. My only message is that if you don’t like Marcos, choose one of us. If you do not like Robredo, choose one of us. Do not confine your choices to just the two of them,” he said.
Domagoso called on Robredo to make the “supreme sacrifice” and withdraw from the race herself because her campaign against Marcos had not been effective. “Withdraw. Come and join us. Can we substitute? We might get three points. One of us. It doesn’t have to be me. It can be Secretary Norberto Gonzales. It can be Senator Ping. That is what we are saying,” he said.
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Domogoso said he and the two other candidates are running because they have legitimate plans and platforms of governance.
“Senator Ping ran because he has services to offer based on the length of his service. The same goes for Norberto Gonzales. So am I. We have jobs to offer. We offer solutions. But (Robredo’s) only fight is against Marcos,” he said.
Domagoso said Robredo cannot be trusted because she has stated several times in the past that she has no plans to run for president.
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“VP Leni said many times, a thousand times, that she will not run. We were fooled. She should not be trusted. No word of honor,” he declared.
Gonzales said people should not rely on surveys alone when looking at the landscape of the presidential race. “Let’s not believe that only No. 1 and No. 2 (in the surveys) are fighting. Mayor Isko and Senator Ping are still there. The fight is not over yet,” he said. “There will be no withdrawals. Each of us will continue with our respective presidential campaigns and strive to be worthy of choices from which our people will select,” their joint statement read.
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The three also vowed to “serve in the government” of whoever among them becomes the next president and to “combine the strength” of their forces to “combat any attempt to subvert the true will of the people by preemptive maneuvers or otherwise limit their choices.”
Reacting to the statements made at the joint press conference, Robredo’s camp said it remains focused on showing the public “that a Robredo presidency will mean a victory for all Filipinos.” “Tatlong linggo na lang bago ang halalan; nasa panahon tayo ng matinding momentum para sa ating People’s Campaign, sabay ng paglinaw ng kung sinong kandidato ang makaaasa sa suporta ng taumbayan sa pagpasok nila sa mga presinto sa ika-9 ng Mayo (With three weeks to go before election day, we are at a time of great momentum for our People’s Campaign, and increasing clarity on which candidates can count on the people’s support when they enter voting booths on May 9),” Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez said in a statement Sunday.
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