MANILA, Philippines – Vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr said on Tuesday, March 22, that he is hoping to clinch the support of One Cebu party after it dropped presidential candidate Jejomar Binay and his slate.

“Lagi naman kaming nag-uusap ng mga Garcia kasi kaibigan ko naman sila,” the senator told reporters during his sortie in Olongapo. (I am in constant communication with the Garcias because they are my friends.)

“They haven’t announced who they are supporting, but since they are already supportive of me, I hope they can [officially] back my campaign,” Marcos continued in Filipino.

One Cebu is led by the Garcia clan, which has produced at least two governors in the most vote-rich province. It initially coalesced with Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in February 2, but broke off on Monday due to party differences.

Gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia earlier told Rappler that UNA “did not appreciate nor reciprocate” their loyalty to them.

For Marcos, One Cebu’s endorsement would boost anyone’s bid.

“Malaking bagay talaga ang One Cebu at very significant ang numbers na dala nila. Malaki talaga at malaking bagay ang kanilang suporta,” he said. (One Cebu’s [support] is a very big help [because] they carry very significant numbers.)  

Weak in Cebu

In the latest Pulse Asia survey commissioned by ABS-CBN, the son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos took the top spot from consistent poll front runner Senator Francis Escudero. With a lead of only a percentage point over Escudero’s 24%, Marcos has to bank on winning in a vote-rich province like Cebu.

His numbers in the Visayas region are not as impressive as in Luzon and Metro Manila. The recent survey revealed that he only got a voter preference of 18% in Visayas vis-à-vis his 25% in the National Capital Region and 29% in balance Luzon.

Escudero also got 18% in the Visayas, while Robredo, who is close behind him at the national level, was preferred by 34% in the Visayas.

Last week, Marcos spent 4 days campaigning in Cebu, home to 2.7 million registered voters – the largest number of registered voters in the country. But the reception of the Cebuanos, as his staff noted, was not as promising as his visits in other localities.  

Voter support for Marcos in Central Visayas, which is dominated by Cebuanos, has also not been very strong, at least according to The Standard poll in February poll.

The survey – the latest that provided a regional break down of results – revealed that Marcos only got 10% in Central Visayas. This is his 3rd weakest spot, following Bicol (5%) and the Negros Island Region (7%). – Rappler.com