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BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – “The heat is on,” went the press release of the opposition but the crowd turnout was more cold than hot.
The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) drew a crowd of just about 2,000 to 3,000 people in its rally at the Baguio Convention Center after issuing press releases and media statements attacking the administration’s small sortie crowds.
UNA and Team PNoy held simultaneous rallies here on Sunday, March 17, both failing to draw huge crowds. Yet unlike the administration, UNA has been harping on the importance of sortie crowd numbers as a gauge of mass support.
Navotas Rep Toby Tiangco, UNA campaign manager, said as much in a press release issued days before the rally.
“Sa Baguio natin makikita ang tunay na pulso ng taumbayan. Hindi lamang nakasentro sa survey ang kampanya. Ang mainit na pagtanggap sa amin ang siyang nagpapataba sa aming puso. Makita lang namin ang libu-libong mga supporter ng UNA sa mga rally ay masaya na kami—yan ang tunay na sukatan ng tagumpay.” (In Baguio we will see the real pulse of the people. The campaign is not just centered on surveys. The warm reception we get is overwhelming. We just see the thousands of supporters of UNA, we are already happy – that is the real measure of a campaign.)
Tiangco also told Rappler in an earlier interview, “Elections are always about numbers. If the sorties’ turnout is not indicative, why hold sorties in the first place? They should just sleep in the house then instead of tiring themselves.”
Yet Tiangco changed his tune after UNA’s Baguio sortie. In the sortie, people were already leaving even just midway the program. A councilor, the last speaker, was still speaking but the crowd already stood up to leave.
Asked why the turnout was low, Tiangco told Rappler, “Baguio apparently has 150,000 voting population. But good enough as long as we had more people than LP considering Erap and Binay lost there.”
The tandem of President Benigno Aquino III and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas beat UNA’s stalwarts in 2010. Aquino won with 42,603 votes over Estrada’s 12,808. Roxas got 47,679 while UNA founder Vice President Jejomar Binay got 39,431.
Yet Estrada is confident things will be different in 2013. He cited UNA’s two incumbent re-electionists: Mayor Mauricio Domogan and Rep Bernardo Vergara. Both were present in the rally and endorsed UNA’s Senate bets.
Estrada said in a press conference before the rally, “Ah they (Aquino, Roxas) won here? Because Domogan was with them. Mayor Domogan was with them, [now he is with us].” (Editor’s Note: Comelec records show Domogan won as Baguio mayor in 2010 under the Lakas-Kampi party.)
Most UNA senatorial bets were present in the sortie except for former Tarlac Gov Tingting Cojuangco, and former Sen Richard Gordon. Cagayan Rep Jack Enrile was in Baguio but just dropped by and did not address the sortie crowd, reportedly due to an emergency.
Erap’s poll fraud fears
Estrada was the sole UNA top leader on the campaign stage, with Binay skipping the rally to prepare for his trip to the Vatican for the papal inauguration.
Still, Estrada got a warm welcome, cheers and instant laughter for his jokes.
The former President turned serious though as he discussed fears of election cheating in his address, the first time he did so in an UNA sortie speech.
In an interview earlier Sunday, he appealed to Aquino to ensure honest and peaceful polls. He expressed concern that election results can be programmed in automated polls, with candidates lacking the documents to prove cheating. He echoed this in his speech.
“Sana huwag magkaroon ng dayaan,” Estrada said. (I hope there will be no cheating.)
Estrada also could not help but question why he lost in Baguio in 2010, saying he supported city projects like the Burnham Park and construction of a circumferential road when he was still president.
“Bakit ako natalo dito, ang dami kong binigay sa inyo?” (Why did I lose here, I gave you many projects?)
Estrada asked the crowd to support UNA, repeating his message that the administration needs critics for check and balance.
Drugs, informal settlers
UNA has two Ilocano candidates in its slate: Enrile and former Senate President Ernesto Maceda.
In his speech, Maceda said Baguio has specific problems that must be addressed like marijuana plantations, police protecting drug lords and drug users, and informal settlers.
“Magiging number one priority namin ang Baguio sa Senado in terms of assistance,” Maceda told the crowd. (Baguio will be our number one priority.)
Incidentally, Maceda also said the Mindanao power crisis will be UNA’s number one priority when he was campaigning in Cagayan de Oro City.
Like Maceda, the wife of resigned Sen Juan Miguel Zubiri, Audrey, also addressed the crowd in Ilocano. Audrey Zubiri spoke along with her husband, asking the crowd to support him because “his heart is for Ilocanos.” – Rappler.com
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