Sen. Bam's Interview during Inauguration of Cong. Leni Robredo's
Tsinelas Volunteer Center
Katipunan, Quezon City, 27 November 2015

Q: Kulang pa ba ang support ni Cong. Leni? She's from Bicol, kulang pa ba ang support niya from NCR?

Sen. Bam: Actually, talagang we're double time, triple time, quadruple time. As you know, she announced on Oct. 5. Ang ibang lumalaban for VP had been preparing for over a year. Talagang hinahabol natin, more volunteers, more support and we really need to introduce her more to the general populace.

Her awareness compared to the other candidates, mas mababa compared to the rest of the candidates, talagang double time, triple time kami to make it happen.

Q: How do you think the youth could propel Cong. Leni?

Sen. Bam: Ang young people, ayaw nila ng fake, ayaw nila ng nagpapanggap, ayaw nila ng posers. I think si Leni is the most authentic of all candidates for vice president. Totoong-totoo, walang tinatago.

Pag sinabi niya she's worked in communities, she really has done it. Kapag sinabi niyang ito ang nagawa namin sa Naga, nagawa talaga niya. I think that's appealing to young voters and voters looking for something real.

Mas discerning na tayo ngayon, alam natin iyong fake, alam natin kung puro salita lang, alam natin kung puro speech lang. Alam rin natin kung sincere ang tao. I think that's a characteristic of Leni that will really appeal to our voters, especially young people.

Q: Si Cong. Leni has not been performing well in surveys, how are you addressing this strategy?

Sen. Bam: Actually, she's been going up in the surveys. Kung tutuusin, everyone else has been fluctuating at siya ang steady ang pag-akyat. We're quite happy na paakyat nang paakyat iyong numbers niya, it's really a function of awareness.

When she announced on Oct. 5, practically kalahati lang ng Pilipinas ang kilala siya. Hinahabol talaga natin na mas makilala siya ng tao. Ang experience namin, kapag nakilala na siya ng taumbayan, mabilis iyong conversion para iboto siya. Actually, we've expected this.

We're hoping na we can get 85 to 90 percent awareness by next year. Kung mangyari iyon, patas-patas na ang laban coming into the election period. Right now, it's really a matter of introducing her, sharing what she wants to do for the country, iyong background niya.

Palagay ko, kung tuluy-tuloy lang doon tsaka pag maraming volunteers ang tumulong, by February of next year, we'll be in a position to be more competitive next year.

Q: I noticed that she's not going with Sec. Mar in recent sorties?

Sen. Bam: Iba-iba rin. It's really dependent sa area. There are areas where she's already strong and there are areas where he's strong. So we really need to maximize at this time kung anong areas na pinupuntahan nila. Definitely, I think if you look at the tandems right now, we have the best tandem.

Sila ang may pinaka-synergy at tsaka may plano para sa bayan. Both of them complement each other. We're happy with this tandem and we're hoping na ang taumbayan natin, ma-appreciate ang importansiya ng pagkakaroon ng tandem.

Kasi tayo, bumoboto tayo, paiba-iba, at kung hindi nagkakasundo ang president at vice president, hadlang lang iyan sa kaunlaran, so we're really hoping people vote tandem at pareho silang iboto ng taumbayan.

Q: Cong. Leni is known for works with grassroots but in the latest Pulse Asia survey, her support base is still coming from A, B, C. Ang D and E, medyo nakuha ni Chiz.

Sen. Bam: Alam mo, hindi pa iyan ha. Kunyari lang iyan na nakuha. Kung tutuusin, ang kanyang nagawa, iyong buod ng kanyang pagkatao, iyong kanyang pinaglalaban, actually iyon ang pinakapasok na pasok sa mga kababayan nating naghihirap.

She said in her speech before, iyong nasa labas, iyong nasa baba, iyong nasa laylayan ng lipunan, iyon talaga iyong nasa puso niya.

Again, it's really a matter of broadcasting this to the rest of the Filipino people. Malaman kung ano ang mga programa niya in the farthest part of her district. Iyong mga nagawa niya sa Naga, na transformation ng rural areas at urban poor areas, iyon ang kailangan ng ating taumbayan.

Again, I think it's really just a matter of making it more known kung ano talaga ang kaya niyang gawin para sa sa taumbayan.

Q: Ano po ang Volunteer Center na ito?

Sen. Bam: Nakita kasi namin, especially coming from 2010 iyong P-Noy's own campaign, kung ang energy ng tao nasa iyo, napakalaking bagay iyon sa kampanya. There's been a clamor for centers to be put up where people can organize themselves, mag-usap-usap, magplano on their own kung ano ang magandang paraan para ipakilala ang aming kandidato.

We put this up, a lot of volunteers wanted to see this center. We're hoping to put up more centers around the Philippines. Of course, puwede ka namang pumunta sa Facebook. We have a very lively Facebook community also.

But kung gusto ng mga tao na face-to-face na magharap-harap, mag-organize at mag-coordinate here in NCR, especially here sa area na mas maraming estudyante, this is the place to go.

Q: Gaano kahalaga iyong papel ng volunteers sa campaign?

Sen. Bam: Sobra. It's the lifeblood of our campaign. In the same way, it's the lifeblood of Jesse Robredo's governance in Naga. It's the lifeblood of her campaign when she ran for Congress.

It's the lifeblood of our campaign again now. Talagang napakatindi ng pangangailangan namin for volunteers and in fairness, ang taas ng energy level ng mga tao. Hopefully, tuluy-tuloy iyan for Mar and Leni.

Q: Si Ma'am Viel was here. Volunteer po ba siya? Ano ba ang magiging papel niya?

Sen. Bam: I think so. I think everyone here volunteers. Kahit ako, volunteer din naman ako dito. The spirit of volunteerism is the spirit of people power, the spirit of people empowerment na hindi lang iilang tao ang nagpapatakbo ng kampanya kundi galing sa taumbayan talaga ang direksiyon ng kampanya.

That's the way she's led for the past years since she's been a Congress person and that's the way she will lead when she becomes our next vice president.

Q: Is Sen. Serge helping out in the campaign?

Sen. Bam: Yes, he gives me advice actually. Sa Senado, of course, nagbibigay iyan ng advice. He's part of our advisory group actually and we're happy na tumutulong siya.

He is one of the best in the political game. In fact, he's one of my main advisers in 2013 and successful naman ako. I'm happy na tumutulong siya.

Marami ring tumutulong na iba ibang mga klaseng tao. We have political strategists like Serge, we have businessmen, NGO workers, CSO workers, our students, some of them are homemakers.

Ang ganitong kampanya na naka-root talaga sa taumbayan, you try your best to harness the energies from everyone who's willing to help and willing to give their time and effort.