As the election day nears, there is a noticeable increase in the intensity of the surge of the poor and the neglected towards the candidate they are able to identify with and who carries their dreams and aspirations.
Yesterday in Pres. Roxas and Antipas towns, what was initially planned to be just a mini-rally turned into a huge gathering of people who wanted to listen to their candidate for Governor.
In Pres. Roxas, where the local political leaders are working hard to promote the incumbent Governor, people from the barangays located in Lower Pres. Roxas estimated to be over 1,000 gathered as early in the public transport terminal as early as 12 noon to listen to my political message which I made at about 5 p.m.
It was an act of defiance against the local political leaders who have waged a relentless effort to pressure the village folks to vote for the incumbent Governor.
“Maayo man sila kay ara sila sa puesto kag nakakwarta sila. Paano kami?,” one of the village leaders who was in the rally in Pres. Roxas said.
(It’s fine for them because they are in power and they were able to make money. But what about us?)
In the Antipas mini-rally held later yesterday, a huge crowd of people gathered at the public terminal even in the absence of sufficient information.
“These people just came because of the text brigade who sent text messages inviting them to the rally,” said Rodrigo Pedregoza, who is running for vice mayor in Antipas.
In both rallies, I noticed that the three main issues which were received well by the people were the long brownouts, the plummeting prices of rubber and copra, and the bad condition of the roads in the villages.
The overflowing attendance of people during the rallies which we are staging now could be the start of an irreversible show of support of people for their candidate for Governor.
I can sense it: the surge of people defying their local political officials to show unyielding support for the candidate who represents them could be the start of a political landslide which can no longer be stopped even by the tempting offer of large sums of money and rice.
The people’s revolt has started.
(Photo caption: Against the backdrop of the Pres. Roxas mountains, a huge crowd of people gather in what was intended to be just a mini-rally.)
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