Surveys put Marcos out in front
One supporter wrote a stirring campaign song that has been played nearly 4million times on Spotify. Other volunteers are barnstorming Philippine villages, going door-todoor to endorse Vice President Leni Robredo in next week’s presidential election.
The stakes are high: If Robredo’s opponent, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., clinches the presidency, as surveys suggest, it will mark a stunning reversal for a nation where millions poured out in 1986 to force out of the country a dictator and Marcos’ father, whose legacy continues to shadow his son.
Followers from diverse backgrounds – families with their grandparents and children, doctors, activists, Catholic priests and nuns, TV and movie stars, farmers and students – have joined Robredo’s fiesta-like campaign rallies in the tens of thousands.
The huge crowds, as well as drone shots and videos posted online by followers, evoke memories of the massive but largely peaceful 1986 ‘‘People Power’’ uprising that toppled strongman Ferdinand Marcos in an Asian democratic milestone that awed the world.
While the rallying call then was to bring back democracy after years of a brutal and corrupt dictatorship, the battle cry of Robredo’s supporters is a promise to bring good and corruption-free governance with her as the new reformist torchbearer.
‘‘We’ve been wanting good governance, honest, hard-working government officials, who genuinely care for the people, and she’s finally here,’’ said Nica del Rosario, a 32-year-old musician.
With her colleagues, del Rosario wrote and sang two campaign songs for Robredo, including ‘‘Rosas’’ – Tagalog for roses – a tribute to the opposition leader’s patriotic and humble brand of hands-on politics that has become an emotional anthem to her followers. The song has been streamed more than 3.9 million times on Spotify in just two months.
Marcos’ son and namesake has topped voter-preference surveys with a seemingly insurmountable lead.
Robredo remained in second place in independent surveys for the 10-way presidential race, far behind Marcos Jr., with just a week before 67 million registered voters pick their next leader onMay 9. –