News Roundup 27 April 2022
Apr 27, 2022 • 4 min Read
Zubiri dropped from Robredo’s Senate slate | PHILSTAR.COM – Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri has been dropped from Vice President Leni Robredo’s ticket due to his “open endorsement of another presidential candidate.” Robredo’s spokesperson, Barry Gutierrez, said this was “in contravention of the agreement with all guest candidates” of not endorsing a presidential bet. Zubiri has been quoted as introducing former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as “our president.” “With 12 days remaining before elections, we are moving forward with our 11-candidate Senate slate,” Gutierrez said. Robredo’s supporters had long been calling for Zubiri’s removal from the vice president’s Senate slate after describing Marcos as “our president” and for frequenting his sorties while not attending even a single rally of the de facto opposition presidential candidate. At rallies where a video presentation of Robredo’s Senate bets were shown, Kakampinks often booed when Zubiri was shown on screen.
Bridge over Bohol’s Loboc River collapses, at least 9 hurt | INQUIRER.NET – At least nine people were injured and several vehicles fell into a river when a bridge collapsed in Loay town, Bohol, late Wednesday afternoon. Police Captain Geronimo Conarco, chief of Loay Police, said the rescued motorists were brought to a hospital in Tagbilaran City for treatment. Authorities have not yet determined how many vehicles fell into the seven-meter depth of the river. The bridge, which was also damaged during the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2013, passes over the famous Loboc River, one of the two navigable rivers of Bohol.
Heckling of Jillian Robredo in Baguio ‘unacceptable’; organizers say market visit was ‘coordinated operation’ | INQUIRER.NET – The heckling incident at the Baguio City Public Market involving Vice President Leni Robredo’s youngest daughter Jillian was a “coordinated operation,” the Robredo People’s Council (RPC) said on Wednesday. According to the RPC chapter in Baguio City, the same incident had already happened in the past to re-electionist and opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros, when she was peacefully campaigning in Baguio City last December 2021 when she too was heckled. Video footage of the youngest Robredo daughter doing face-to-face campaign in Baguio City went viral on social media after an unknown individual shouted at her for causing congested pathways in the market. “Such an unacceptable… (even a) coordinated operation has happened in the past, particularly to allies such as Sen. Risa Hontiveros when she was in the same area in December 2021. It is unfortunate that it happened again to Ms. Jillian,” RPC Baguio’s official statement, which was posted on Facebook, said. “The RPC house-to-house and Tao sa Tao campaigns are done to engage all the people kindly and with an open heart, whether or not they support VP Leni. This was what Ms. Jillian was doing with our RPC volunteers. Contrary to the posts online, she and her volunteers did their best to approach market-goers without being a bother to others,” RPC added. RPC said that while Jillian and the rest of the volunteers were trying to woo voters at Baguio City’s Public Market, a woman shouted at the team to refrain from blocking the roads. The heckler even told the team that Jillian’s team are only visitors, and that they are Igorots. The people’s council said that the actions of the woman do not reflect the entirety of Baguio City and the Igorot people — adding that there were stall owners who approached Jillian to apologize. “This unfortunate incident has put the people of Baguio, particularly the Igorots, in a bad light. It has given the impression that those who are not from the city are not welcome, when in fact Baguio is a tourist destination. The people of Baguio, regardless of what language they speak, have always been known as warm and welcoming to visitors,” RPC said. “This individual’s unacceptable behavior should not be seen as the norm,” it added. RPC also countered claims by some netizens and social media bloggers that the heckling incident was borne from the insistence of Jillian to campaign and talk to voters, stressing that a longer video showed that the attack was unprovoked.
Hataman says backing of Robredo is a ‘vote for peace in Mindanao’ | Manila Bulletin – House Deputy Speaker and Basilan lone district Rep. Mujiv Hataman says that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) and United Bangsamoro Justice Party’s (UBJP) endorsement of Vice President Leni Robredo’s candidacy is an endorsement for peace and progress in Mindanao. The Deputy Speaker described it as “a vote for peace and progress in a large area of Mindanao that for centuries has eluded both”. “Kaya naniniwala kami na ang endorsement na ito ay magkakaroon ng domino effect sa maraming lugar hindi lang sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) kundi pati sa buong Mindanao (We believe that this endorsement will have a domino effect on many places not just in BARMM but all over Mindanao),” Hataman said in a press statement on Wednesday, April 27. “Unang-una na dito ay ang pagsuporta ng dating gobernador ng Maguindanao kay VP Leni (The first of this being the support of the former Maguindanao Governor for VP Leni),” he said. He was referring to former Governor and now Maguindanao 2nd district Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu, who is currently vying for a gubernatorial re-election. Mangudadatu, alongside the UBJP and MILF, endorsed VP Robredo on her birthday last April 23.
