CEBU, Philippines - Former justice secretary Leila de Lima said she now finds herself warmly welcomed by Cebuanos after her initial apprehension on how to woo vote-rich Cebu, which was once tagged as “Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo country.”
“Everybody is courting the Cebuano vote because it is the richest in terms of votes. Initially, I was in quandary. Can I win the Cebu votes? Can I penetrate the Cebu votes?” said De Lima, a senatorial candidate of the administration’s Liberal Party.
De Lima, who prosecuted the former president of her plunder charges, admitted it was a challenge for her how to penetrate the Cebuano crowd, especially that she is a neophyte in politics.
“Now na napapadalas ang pagpunta ko dito and the way I interact with people in Cebu, the various groups, politicians and students, I would feel the warm reception of the Cebuanos. So, madali lang naman palang makuha ang sentiments nang mga Cebuanos. Cebuanos are very warm from A to E,” she said.
She assured Cebuanos that it is her nature to always choose what is right.
“Winning the election is a matter of trust. If people vote for you, it is a sacred mandate na kailangang seryosohin,” she said.
Asked about what she thought of her being in the top 12 in the latest Social Weather Station survey, she said it is because she was very visible as commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and as secretary of the Department of Justice.
“Generally I think, it’s my performance that people saw on major issues and controversies. Mukha ko laging nasa media. The image that I was able to project. A tough image,” she said.
As to talks that the people are not voting for candidates endorsed by President Benigno Aquino III in the 2016 local and national elections, she said it would not happen.
“I disagree because the trust rating of PNoy is positive in the last stage of the (Aquino) administration. PNoy is trustworthy and sincere. He is not a perfect president; no one is. But compared to other presidents, marami siyang achievement,” she said. (FREEMAN)