MANILA, Philippines — We lost the battle but not the war.
That was how supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo characterized their candidate's losing run in the 2022 elections on Monday.
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The air was somber yet hopeful Friday night at Bellarmine Field on the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City. Though they lost the day, Robredo's voters knew this was just the beginning of something.
Perhaps Robredo herself said it best during her speech before thousands of supporters: "It's okay to cry, but pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and soldier on."
Philstar.com spoke to a number of her supporters to capture the pulse of the Vice President's enthusiastic base. Here's what they had to say.
Dealing with the loss
Ahead of the program, Quezon City-based doctors John and Kristine Duenas said they were still having trouble processing their emotions. They asked: how could the gap between Robredo and presumptive president Bongbong Marcos be that wide?
"It wasn't expected because we really saw the effort of the people. So many of us sacrificed [our] time and effort. You saw how many people went to the rallies. So the results were really confusing," the 54-year-old John said.
"I would be able to accept it if the elections were fair. But I think Vice President Leni is a once-in-a-lifetime leader, and we wasted that chance to have a leader who could change the country."
Research assistant Gerald Guillermo, 24, said his space of mind was one of accepting the years ahead instead of just moving on with life.
"It will take me a long time to move forward personally... What I'm really feeling is anger. These people chose the son of an ex-dictator who is a liar and a thief," he said in mixed Filipino and English.
"Right now we're all allowed to feel things, sabi nga ni VP Leni. But we need to understand where that anger is coming from, and I hope I don't turn that anger into a divisive way of moving forward."
Danny Agoncillo, a 62-year-old owner of a travel and tour agency, said he wasn't optimistic about the days ahead.
"I have ups and downs because I know what this development means. In all probability, we will be heading back to a dictatorship. And we have to watch out for that," Agoncillo, once an editor in chief of a local broadsheet said. "The situation is there."
He pointed out a number of factors, including the plan to place Sara Duterte-Carpio, Marcos' presumptive vice president, in the Department of Education and the possible revisionism and militarization of campuses this could cause, the politically-charged environment of red-tagging by the NTF-ELCAC and the Anti-Terror Law, and the Marcos family's history with Martial Law.
"I am concerned about the future of the country... They can red-tag me all they want. But I will never shut up," he said.
'The people are awake'
One common theme arose among the VP's supporters: something changed in the course of Robredo's 90-day campaign. And this momentum could definitely be built on moving forward, with or without Robredo in office.
"People were so apathetic, they didn't care about the things that were happening. But many were inspired to get involved in this campaign," Duenas said. "I hope and I pray that we don't lose this... I hope it will become a movement to be better citizens, better Filipinos."
College sophomore and first-time voter Margarita Madriaga said that she'd never experienced being politically active until she got invested in Robredo's campaign.
"I hope that this energy, the spirit of volunteerism, I hope it continues. Right now, the strength of the youth, and all these people from all walks of life, it can really help our country," she said. "Even if things have been messy, we all just want a better Philippines for our families."
Robredo's supporters added that the outgoing veep's speech helped ease their spirits for the coming days.
"She brought us back to reality, and that mindset of not choosing who we help. We're not red and yellow and pink; we're all Filipinos and I think we deserve one another and we need to help one another," Guillermo said.
David Gats, a member of Bikers for Leni said he was dismayed and had trouble moving on until he heard Robredo's announcement that she would turn the Angat Buhay program into a non-government organization.
"As long as we're together, in the end, I'm sure things will go back to normal. It's hard but I think we'll get through it," he said in Filipino.
"We can definitely maintain this momentum. We're behind VP Leni all the way. We didn't lose, because with this movement, we've already won."