The presidential and vice-presidential candidates began their proclamation rallies, kicking off the campaign season on Tuesday, February 8. The electoral hopefuls went on a frantic and colorful charm offensive for the three-month campaign season, hoping to entice millions of voters who are more interested in personalities than policy.
The following presidential and vice-presidential duos started their campaigns with grand events across the Philippines: Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan (Naga City), Ping Lacson and Tito Sotto (Cavite), Manny Pacquiao and Lito Atienza (General Santos City), Isko Moreno and Willie Ong (Manila), Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte (Bulacan), and Leody (Quezon City). Their senatorial slates also joined them in the event.
Meanwhile, after the 2016 vice-presidential battle won by Robredo, former Senator Bongbong Marcos and current Vice President Leni Robredo are once again at odds. In a more packed and heated ring with other candidates, it will be for the highest position in the land this time around. Election polls have shown Marcos Jr. heading towards a landslide victory in the May 9 elections despite receiving major backlash for being a dictator’s son. Boosted by a massive social media campaign and a formidable alliance with first daughter and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte, Marcos Jr.—one of the most polarizing figures in the Philippines—has vowed to “unify the country.”
In voter surveys, incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, a former lawyer for the poor and a foe of the Marcos-Duterte tandem, is placed at a distant second behind the two candidates. Robredo told her supporters in Lupi, a town in the central province of Camarines Sur, that she was “full with bravery because you are with me.”
Traditional campaign activity exchanges, which included handshakes, embraces, kisses, selfies, food, and drink distribution, and crowding near the candidate, are prohibited at all levels, as announced by the National IATF to each party.
The February 8 campaign period kickoff is only applicable to aspirants for national elective posts; local aspirants can begin campaigning on March 25.
