RIZAL, Philippines – With only a week to go before official campaign period kicks off on February 9, Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II is wasting no time in wooing vote-rich provinces.

On Tuesday, February 2, Roxas visited vote-rich Rizal province in a 5-town sortie that included meetings with local and barangay officials, countless selfies and photo opportunies with Rizal locals, and short speeches wherein he trumpeted the gains of the current administration’s “Daang Matuwid (Straight Path).”

Speaking to residents in San Mateo town, Roxas said that under the Aquino administration, it’s the common people – the “bosses,” as President Benigno Aquino III puts it – who are in control.

“Hindi po iyan mga matatamis na salita lamang sa entablado (Those are not just sweet words meant for the stage),” Roxas told a crowd gathered outside the municipal hall, after San Mateo Mayor Jose Rafael Diaz enumerated government services made available to residents in the past years.

“Dahil saan ba nanggaling ang pera pantugon doon sa mga nabanggit ni Mayor? Sa inyo nanggaling ang pera na ‘yan. Ibinabalik sa inyo! Kung hindi ninanakaw ang pera ninyo, maraming pera ang maibabalik sa inyo para sa inyong mga pangangailangan,” said Roxas.

(What is the source of the money that funded those projects? That money came from you. And it goes back to you. If nobody steals your money, a lot comes back to you to service your needs.)

It’s a consistent message in Roxas’ sorties across the country: the benefits  from programs supposedly started and strengthened by the Aquino administration, and the promise that under a Roxas presidency, these will be sustained or improved on.

Roxas’ and the LP-led “Daang Matuwid” coalition’s campaign, after all, is hinged on the promise of continuity. An endorsement from the popular Aquino is seen to boost that message.

In a span of 9 hours, Roxas visited the municipalities of Rodriguez, San Mateo, Binangonan and Taytay; and the city of Antipolo.

In 2010, when Roxas ran for vice president, he did poorly in the province, garnering over 132,000 less votes than rival Jejomar Binay.

Binay eventually won the vice presidency and is now among the front runners in the 2016 presidential race.

“I am very optimistic,” Roxas told reporters in a chance interview in Antipolo, when asked about his chances in Rizal.

“Natutuwa ako sa napakainit at napakatamis na pagtanggap sa akin dito sa Rizal at nakikita ko na matibay ang ating kandidatura dito (I’m happy because of the warm welcome I received here in Rizal and I see that my candidacy here is strong),” he added.

Rizal may prove to be another key province in the 2016 polls, with 1.45 million registered voters. It is the 10th most vote-rich province in the country for 2016.

Key alliances

It is also during these provincial sorties where new alliances are announced. In Rizal, at least one member of the politically entrenched Ynares clan endorsed Roxas’ presidential bid.

“Kaya po tayo narito sa harapan ninyo, para po [si Roxas] ay i-endorse natin…. So hindi na po ako magpapakahaba at sana po ito po ating magiging presidente ng Republika ng Pilipinas, Secretary Mar Roxas,” said Binangonan Mayor Cecilio “Boyet” Ynares during a multi-sectoral gathering in his town.

(That’s why I’m here in front of you today, to endorse Roxas. So I won’t talk so much anymore. It’s my hope that Mar Roxas will be the next president of the Republic of the Philippines)

But Roxas’ candidacy had a more tepid reception in Antipolo, where another Ynares is mayor.

Speaking to media, Antipolo Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III said the city was open to visits from any candidate vying for the president.

He also said his city’s residents were intelligent voters who would not be swayed by an endorsement from ruling officials alone.

“Kung sino ang makakapagpatuloy o pagdala ng mga benepisyo sa ating mga kababayan, makakatulong na po iyon (Whoever would be able to continue or bring the benefits of those who live in Antipolo, that would be a huge push),” said Ynares, when asked what kind of president his constituents would choose.

Pressed on whether Roxas stands a better chance in Rizal in the 2016 elections, the Antipolo mayor said: “Hindi ko masabi kung he has better chances but ang masasabi ko, kung sino ang mas madalas sa probinsiya namin, makita at makilala ng husto ng mga kababayan namin, ‘yan po ang makakalamang.”

(I can’t say if he has better chances but whoever visits the province more, whoever is seen and is known better by our constituents, that candidate would have the upper hand.)

Despite his neither here-nor-there answers to a Roxas endorsement, the Antipolo mayor flashed the “Laban” sign – an LP symbol – during photos with Roxas and local leaders.

Binay, in particular has visited the city the most times in the past few months, while both Senator Grace Poe and Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte have yet to visit the provincial capital.

Mayor Jun Ynares, former Rizal governor who was replaced by his mother, Rebecca Ynares in 2013, is gunning for re-election in 2016.

He is married to Andrea Bautista, sister of detained senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr, whose clan is politically entrenched in Cavite province. The Revillas are allied with Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). 

The Ynareses were allied with Binay in the 2013 elections.

Most of Rizal’s incumbent officials, including the Ynareses, are members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

The NPC was set to endorse Poe but this has been stalled, given the uncertainty of disqualification cases lodged against her. – Rappler.com