Pangilinan: 'Nasa atin ang momentum'

THE estimated 47,000 people who showed up at the Team Leni-Kiko grand rally in General Trias City, Cavite following its 40,000-strong Iloilo grand rally last week shows that its campaign has the momentum to win the May 9 elections, vice-presidential candidate Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Saturday.

In a media interview (from 3:15 time stamp, https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=549186176215855), Pangilinan said, "Nasa atin ang momentum...The challenge is to maintain it."

Pangilinan attributes this momentum to the positive energy of the Leni-Kiko volunteers, especially young people.

"Walang pwersang pulitikal ang mas malakas pa sa taumbayang tumitindig, naninindigan at kumikilos," he has said in previous interviews.

Pangilinan said that before the Cavite grand rally, Iloilo was thought to be the biggest ("pinakamatindi").

"Ang estimate sa atin before yesterday (Cavite rally) ay kalahati, 19,000. Pero naging 47,000...Last minute, siguro dahil na-engganyo ang iba, mas marami ang sumama," he said.

And in the team's ongoing sortie in Bulacan, Pangilinan said, "Pero huwag din daw pakakasiguro. Baka mas malaki ngayong araw na ito."

Apart from being a healthy competition among supporters, he said this serves as an inspiration for volunteers to convert more voters to the Leni-Kiko camp.

"Steadily and slowly, napapaabot natin sa kanila ang mensahe na sa gobyernong tapat, aangat ang buhay ng lahat...At hindi lang ito slogan. Merong resibo... Unti-unting nakikita ang katotohanan...sa track record na walang anomalya," Pangilinan said.

The former student activist said a similar groundswell and public support for a tandem was last seen in the Cory-Doy run in February 1986, referring to President Cory Aquino and Vice-President Doy Laurel.

With 64 days to go before election day, Pangilinan said he foresees bigger and bigger support, as he calls on supporters to go house-to-house and try to persuade more people to choose the Leni-Kiko tandem in the May 9 elections.

"Ang panawagan ko ay walang bahay na palalampasin. Susuyurin at susuyuin ang bawat bahay sa bawat kalye. Ang ating kumbaga infantry ay ang ating mga volunteers...No house will be left behind. Pupuntahan lahat," Pangilinan said.