News Roundup 11 March 2022
Mar 11, 2022 • 4 min Read
Bacolod in Negros Occidental draws biggest crowd ever for Robredo | INQUIRER.NET – If supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan are competing for drawing the biggest crowds in rallies, then Bacolod City, Negros Occidental may be the current title holder. According to organizers of the campaign rally, 70,000 participants are already present in the star-studded sortie as of 7 p.m. of Friday. If numbers from Robredo volunteers are to be believed, this is way bigger than the rally at the General Trias, Cavite rally held on March 4, which attracted 47,000 supporters.
Robredo, Pangilinan get support from biggest university in C. Luzon | INQUIRER.NET – The kick-off of a signature campaign has drawn the support of 240 teaching and non-teaching personnel of the Holy Angel University (HAU) for presidential and vice presidential candidates Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis Pangilinan. The signatures were drawn on the first day of the signature campaign in Holy Angel University (HAU), the first laity-run Catholic university in the country and the biggest in Central Luzon with some 10,000 students. It has a current workforce of 915 people. “In recent years we have witnessed further erosion of the integrity of our political institutions due to the brazen attacks on human rights, freedom of speech, decency, and morality. We have witnessed the weaponization of information leading to the spread of fake news and historical revisionism, as well as the intensified, unabated corruption of incumbent officials acting with unprecedented impunity,” the statement read. They said Robredo and Pangilinan are the “most qualified” for the two highest positions in our government, adding the two embody HAU’s core values of Christ-centeredness, integrity, excellence, community and societal responsibility. “As teachers and employees of an institution of higher learning, we commit to upholding truth, justice and fairness in the election of the next leaders of our Republic. As citizens we agree that the result of the 2022 elections will have far-reaching effects on our nation and in our individual lives. We must not shy away from our responsibilities as citizens,” they added. INQ
Pangilinan vows legal aid for arrested Cavite activist | PHILSTAR.COM – Vice presidential candidate Sen. Kiko Pangilinan vowed Friday to provide legal assistance to an activist arrested in Cavite and all other supporters of him and his presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo who may experience “harassment.” “The arrest of Jonathan Mercado yesterday is political harassment,” Pangilinan said in a statement in Filipino. Mercado is a regional coordinator of progressive party-list Anakpawis, which is part of the Makabayan coalition which is supporting presidential bet Vice President Leni Robredo and Pangilinan. Regional rights alliance Defend Southern Tagalog reported Thursday that Mercado was taken from Silang, Cavite and into the custody of Calabarzon police. Pangilinan said Mercado still could not be located and that his family is being given the runaround by police. “We will give legal support to Jonathan and all those being harassed by those intimidated by our growing force,” Pangilinan said. Mercado, along with a number of other Anakpawis activists and campaigners in Cavite, were arrested in what groups called a “crackdown” in the province where Robredo and Pangilinan held a massive rally last week.
Robredo, supporters urge Negrenses: ‘Make own decision; victory is in our hands’ | Manila Bulletin – Negrenses were urged by no less than their governor to make their own decision in the upcoming May elections, saying they no longer need to listen to their elders. “The victory of our candidate is in your hands,” Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio “Bong” Lacson said on Friday, March 11, referring to aspiring president Vice President Leni Robredo. “This election on May 9, we do not need to listen to our elders. Let us make the decision for ourselves,” Lacson said in Hiligaynon as he welcomed Robredo during her visit at the Bishop’s Compound in San Carlos City, where she kicked off her campaign activities in the province. The province is expected to back Robredo anew, after Negrenses gave her a huge win in the 2016 vice presidential elections where she received more than 590,000 votes. During the morning people’s rally in Sagay City, Robredo also urged first-time voters to not waste their votes and not let another six years of suffering happen again. “Sa first-time voters, kahit hindi first-time voters, pangalagaan po natin yung boto natin dahil ‘yan yung kapangyarihan natin (For first-time voters, or even those who are not voting for the first time, take care of your votes because that is our power),” the presidential aspirant said. “‘Pag tayo po nagkamali sa eleksyon, magdudusa na naman tayo ng anim na taon (If we make a mistake, we will have to suffer for another six years again),” she added. Robredo went to Kabankalan for a people’s rally and visited a community learning hub in Barangay Caradio-an in Himamaylan. The learning hub is a Covid-19 response initiative of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) that helped both parents and students cope with the sudden shift to online classes due to the pandemic. Tutors, gadgets, internet connection, as well as printing school requirements are available for free at the hub. She was also at the Binalbagan Catholic College for a meet and greet with the different sectors from the province’s fifth district. Later in the afternoon, the Vice President’s daughters, Aika and Tricia, joined her at the Hinigaran Public Plaza followed by a rally at the La Carlota City plaza.
