MANILA (AP) — A campaign song written by a supporter has been heard nearly 4 million times on Spotify. Others are also barnstorming villages in the Philippines to support Vice President Leni Robertredo during next week’s presidential elections.
The stakes are high. If Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Robredo’s opponent in the presidential election, surveys suggest it will be a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a nation that saw millions pour out in 1986 to expel a dictator and Marcos’s dad, whose legacy still shadows his son.
Robredo’s fiesta-like campaign rallies have attracted followers from many backgrounds, including grandparents, children, doctors and activists as well as students, farmers, Catholic priests, nuns, and TV stars. After the color her volunteers wore, she called the movement “pink revolution”.
These large crowds, along with drone shots and videos shared online by followers, bring back memories of the peaceful, but not overtly violent 1986 “People Power” revolt that overthrew Ferdinand Marcos. It was an Asian democratic milestone that stunned the world.
Although the rallying cry was to restore democracy after years of oppressive and corrupt dictatorships, Robredo’s supporters are pledging to bring good governance and corruption-free leadership with Robredo as their new reformist torchbearer.
Nica del Rosario (32 years old) said that she has been longing for good governance and honest, hardworking officials in government. She genuinely cares about the people. “Let’s take this opportunity, because someone like her is not very often.”
Del Rosario and her co-writers wrote and performed two Robredo campaign songs, including “Rosas”, Tagalog for roses. This song is a tribute to Robredo’s humble and patriotic style of politics and has become an emotional anthem for her followers. In just two months, the song has been streamed over 3.9 million times on Spotify. It has also gone viral on Facebook.
Robredo, however, is facing an uphill electoral fight against Marcos’s son-in-law and namesake who has led voter preference surveys with an almost insurmountable lead.
Independent surveys of the 10-way presidential race showed Robredo as second, well behind Marcos Jr.
With 56% support, Marcos Jr. was the top vote getter in the Pulse Asia poll. However, his popularity dipped slightly among lower-middle classes. Robredo came second with 24%, after a nine point increase. Other candidates were far behind in the March 17, 21 survey that polled 2,400 Filipinos aged 18 and older nationwide. The margin of error was 2 percentage points.
Marcos Jr.’s candidacy was bolstered with his vice-presidential running partner, Sara Duterte. Sara Duterte is the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte. Despite his bloody crackdown against illegal drugs and poor human rights record, Marcos Jr. has remained popular.
Ronald Holmes, president of Pulse Asia, said that there is always a chance that voters will reconsider their decision. He said that it was also difficult to measure the impact of house-to-house and word-of mouth campaigns.
The 36-year-old Marcos was thrown out by activists who feared that the history of the Philippines would be rewritten if his son took over. A country long considered to be an Asian stronghold for democracy, it is now being threatened by these activist. Marcos Jr., a former senator who is 64 years old, defends his father’s legacy but refuses to admit or apologize for the abuses and plunder which ravaged the Philippines under his martial law regime. Indisputable evidence has been provided by both the U.S. courts and the Philippines through government investigations.
“The return of Marcoses is my worst fear… because we will be condemned worldwide. We will be asked, “Haven’t we learned?” He’s back, you said in 86. So, what are you telling me? Florencio Abad, a political prisoner under Marcos in the 1970s, said Florencio Abad. He later served in high-ranking government positions after the dictator’s fall and now advises Robredo.
Robredo, 57-year-old Robredo is a former congresswoman, mother of three and runs independently. She does not belong any of the country’s rich land-owning clans or dynasties.
Her integrity and simplicity have been praised in the corruption- and poverty-stricken nation of Southeast Asia, where two presidents were accused of plundering and overthrowing the elder Marcos. She died in exile in the U.S. in 1989. Another suspect was held for almost four years on the same allegation, but was finally released.
Robredo, like her husband, was a respected politician, who died in a plane accident in 2012. Robredo’s appeal lies with shunning the trappings and power. She was a congresswoman and would often travel by bus alone from her province to the capital, often in the middle of the night. This allowed her to get some sleep.
Robredo Jr. and Marcos Jr. are not only electoral rivals, but also on opposite sides in history.
Robredo was a student at the University of the Philippines, a state-run university in the 1980s. He had participated in anti-Marcos demonstrations that culminated with the 1986 democratic uprising.
Marcos Jr. narrowly beat her in 2016 in a cliffhanger for vice president. This was their first electoral encounter. He waged a long and unsuccessful legal battle against Marcos Jr. to invalidate his victory over alleged fraud, and still refuses the concession.
Robredo didn’t initially intend to run for the presidency without the huge logistics involved in a presidential campaign. However, she changed her mind last year after Marcos Jr. declared his candidacy. Talks to field an opposition candidate failed to materialize. According to her allies, the emergence of campaign volunteers was a lifesaver.
Georgina Hernandez coordinates Robredo’s volunteer efforts nationwide.
Hernandez claims that Robredo’s volunteer army, which Hernandez estimates to be close to 2,000,000, began by engaging in various types of campaigning, including turning roadside walls into pink-colored murals featuring her portrait and mottos, providing free legal and medical services, and running soup kitchens for those who are poor.
She said that most people turned to house-to–house campaigning and organizing star studded rallies as election day neared.
Mary Joan Buan, a volunteer activist who also participated in the 1986 rebellion, stated that opposing another Marcos to the presidency had become more difficult due to a well-funded campaign, which began several years ago on social media to rehabilitate the Marcos family image.
Buan stated that many people now rely on social media and use platforms such as TikTok to find information. She was going door-to–door in a poor neighborhood of Manila for Robredo. Some residents told Buan that they supported BBM, which is a common reference to Marcos Jr. but does not include his family name.
Randy David, a University of the Philippines sociolog, said that the Robredo spontaneous volunteer movement is a warning sign for potential tyrants.
David, a prominent Manila newspaper, wrote that traditional politicians are concerned about the potential for social movements to influence electoral outcomes and their ability to take on new forms beyond elections. “But it’s autocrats that fear them most, because they almost always have the seeds of regime changes in them.”
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This report was contributed by Joeal Calupitan, an Associated Press journalist, and Aaron Favila, an Associated Press journalist.
