SUMMARY
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Ten weeks into the campaign period, vice presidential candidate Francis Escudero was able to campaign with wife actress Heart Evangelista for the first time on Tuesday, April 19.
Not that the celebrity wife wasn’t keen on her senator husband’s bid for the second highest post. She has been campaigning for him separately to cover more ground and as her showbiz commitments permitted.
So when they came together here in the morning and met up again after doing their separate sorties, the couple told Rappler in General Santos City they were practically bonding.
“First time namin magkasama ngayon. Matatapos na ang kampanya, ngayon lang kami nagkasama,” said Escudero, citing his wife’s busyness with tapings. “Pero masaya kapag magkasama kami. Di na kami nagkikita masyado kaya ito na ang aming bonding.”
(This is the first time we’re together. The campaign is almost through and we’re campaigning together only now. But we’re happy when we do this together. We rarely see each other now, so this like our bonding.)
Since the official campaign period started on February 9, Escudero said, “Madalas magkasama kami kapag gabi. Ngayon lang kami nagkasama na may araw.” (We usually just see each other at night. This is the first time we’re together during the day.)
The Escudero couple landed in General Santos City at 6:45 am from Manila.
They had breakfast at Sarangani Representative Manny Paquiao’s residence and proceeded to visit to Escudero’s friend, South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance Fuentes at the provincial capitol. (Pacquiao on Tuesday afternoon hosted a rally for his standard-bearer Vice President Jejomar Binay.)
The couple split up to meet with various groups that are supporting the senator’s candidacy for vice president.
At 8:20 am, they met up again in a coffee shop, where members of Karancho, a motorists’ group founded by Escudero, joined them.
Evangelista served her husband’s coffee: “Eto na’ng kape mo.”
After the coffee break, they again attended to separate engagements. Later, Evangelista fetched Escudero outside the hotel the senator held a press conference. They proceeded to Digos, Davao del Sur, and then Sultan Kudarat for some more sorties.
It was Evangelista’s first time to ride a chopper, which brought her and Escudero to the two other provinces they visited. Apparently nervous, she held a rosary in her right hand, while Escudero comforted her throughout the trip. “Kailangang gawin ko ito, Babes, para sa iyo (I have to do this for you, Babes),” the actress told her husband.
Evangelista did the rounds of public markets and malls, and got mobbed while walking narrow alleys to campaign.
At the rally in Davao del Sur, the actress interrupted the emcee to say she would be the one to introduce “my vice president, our vice president.”
She narrated to the crowd how she developed a crush on Escudero when the senator didn’t notice her yet. She said in Filipino she found him “handsome” and “a very good speaker,” who made her understand issues.
“I am here, happy to help him in the campaign,” Evangelista told Rappler. “Mas lalo akong ganado na umikot na kasama siya kasi grabe yong reaction ng mga tao. First time ko talaga nakita….nakikita ko ‘yung mga tao, mas lalo akong ginagahan [na mangampanya para] sa kanya.”
(I’m more energized to go around with him because, wow, look at the people’s reaction. This is the first time I see it closely. I see how the people receive him, and all the more I’m inspired to campaign for him.)
Escudero used to top major pre-election surveys for several months until Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr overtook him in the latest poll. – Editha Z. Caduaya/Rappler.com
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