MANILA, Philippines – A pro-Isko Moreno volunteer group led by former transportation official Tim Orbos wants Vice President Leni Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, senators Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao to work together against a Ferdinand Marcos Jr. victory in the May elections.

Orbos, in a phone call with Rappler on Monday, April 4, said that the strategy to beat Marcos could involve the withdrawal of other presidential candidates and the consolidation of forces behind the bet with the biggest chances of beating the race front-runner.

Orbos is lead convenor of Ikaw Muna (IM) Pilipinas, a volunteer group helping the Manila mayor’s campaign. He has been tapped by the team as head of volunteers.

“You’re all applying as candidates to be president. (Can we) have just one last chance to talk to each other?” said Orbos.

Asked if he meant he wanted a resumption of the 2021 unity talks between Moreno, Robredo, Pacquiao, and Lacson, he said, “Yes, but in a more urgent and time-bound manner.”

The talks, he said, could go two ways: if numbers show a presidential bet doing far better than others, the other candidates will withdraw; or, if candidates are neck-to-neck, they all stop negative campaigning against each other and focus their criticisms against Marcos Jr.

Based on the February Pulse Asia survey, it’s Robredo who is in second place (15% to Marcos’ 60%), followed by Moreno (10%), Pacquiao (8%), and Lacson (2%).

Cut-off date

Orbos, personally, thinks there should be a “cut-off date,” say end of Holy Week, when the candidates’ teams can look at the survey numbers and determine if one of the candidates has a vastly better chance of beating Marcos. Holy Week starts next week and culminates with Easter Sunday on April 17.

“End of Holy Week ‘di ba may numbers na lalabas. Kung malayo na talaga si Isko o si Leni, eh di bigay mo na doon sa number two. Ngayon ‘pag dikit sila, then we can work out a way na let’s start to help out each other by hitting a common enemy. Why waste our bullets on each other?” Orbos told Rappler.

(End of Holy week, numbers will come out. If Isko or Leni are far from the rest, then give it to whoever is number two. If they are close to each other in ratings, then we can work out a way where they help each other by hitting a common enemy. Why waste our bullets on each other?)

The group got the idea during their time working with pro-Robredo, pro-Leody de Guzman, and pro-Lacson groups in organizing protests and even a concert to amplify the P203-billion Marcos estate tax deficiencies that Moreno first raised as a campaign issue back in early March.

Orbos sent Moreno a letter on Monday to explain their group’s decision.

He acknowledged that the Visayas chapter of IM Pilipinas had earlier on Monday declared they were switching support to Robredo. Orbos said he did not authorize the decision and did not even know the chapter was to hold a Cebu press conference on Monday morning. But he said he was not one to control the decision of the Visayas volunteers.

As for himself, Orbos said, “I am still with Yorme (nickname for Isko Moreno).”

Unity talks again?

It was Robredo who initiated unity talks back in August and September 2021 with Moreno, Pacquiao, and Lacson, but these talks ultimately failed. All four decided to pursue presidential candidacies.

Lacson had even said he had proposed a “formula” similar to what Orbos is proposing now – that candidates check survey numbers towards the latter end of the campaign period to see who is doing best against Marcos and then all the rest withdraw in favor of this candidate. But Robredo had rejected it, saying once candidates launch their bids, they should see their fight to the end.

What makes Orbos think this round of unity talks will be successful is the consistent survey results showing Marcos’ big lead, making unification more urgent and necessary.

It may be difficult getting other members of Moreno’s camp onboard. People around Moreno, including his chief of staff Let Zarcal, campaign manager Lito Banayo, and Aksyon Demokratiko chairman Ernest Ramel, had gotten the impression in the past unity talks that Robredo was going to support Moreno’s bid, only to find out weeks later that she had herself thrown her hat into the ring. – Rappler.com