CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu was the last place vice presidential candidate former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo was alive.
"Jesse spent his last day with you in Cebu," said Robredo's wife Leni, who is running for vice president under the Liberal Party ticket. "So everytime I come to Cebu, I remember the last day of my late husband," Robredo said in Filipino during a dialogue with students and urban poor at the College of Technical Sciences in Cebu City on Thursday March 3.
In August 2012, the well-loved cabinet secretary chartered a private flight to Naga City to be with his family after attending a conference in Cebu. His plane would never make it after the plane crashed in Masbate.
Robredo was visibly holding back her emotions while speaking to the crowd.
Jesse's last day
The vice presidential candidate was in Cebu with her running mate Mar Roxas, members of the Liberal Party's senatorial slate, as well as President Benigno Aquino III. The candidates are in Cebu for two days of sorties and campaign events.
"Nung namatay yung asawa ko, di kami pinabayaan ni Secretary Mar Roxas (Mar was there for us when my husband died)," Robredo said of her running mate who became DILG secretary after her husband's death.
After speaking with the students, Robredo visited Lihok Pilipina, a non-governmental organization in Cebu City that works with women victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
Robredo said economic empowerment is the way to prevent abuse against women. In an interview with reporters after speaking with the women, she said economically-empowered will not "allow themselves to be victimized."
Robredo worked with the NGO Saligan for over 10 years, helping poor farmers, women and children.
She said visiting organizations like Lihok reminds her of those days.
Cebu vote
March 3 is the first of two days of events scheduled for the vote-rich province. In 2010, the Aquino-Roxas ticket won in the city, Roxas by over half a million votes. Roxas went on to be defeated by Vice President Jejomar Binay in the national elections.
"Cebu is obviously very important, not only because it has the highest voter population, but also since it is a key constituency in the Visayas – Mar's home island group," Roxas' spokesman Akbayan Representative Ibarra Gutierrez told Rappler in a text message.
Robredo was joined by Roxas in the northern Cebu town of Daanbantayan, an area that was directly hit by 2013's Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) one of the strongest storms ever recorded.
At 4:30, she joined LP's standard-bearer and President Aquino for a proclamation rally where they endorsed local candidates for Lapu Lapu City, Mandaue City and Cebu City.
Cebu Governor Hilario "Junjun" Davide III and Vice Governor Agnes Magpale are LP members, as well as former Cebu City mayor and current candidate Tomas Osmeña have said that they would help secure a victory in Cebu for Roxas and Robredo. While the LP won big in Cebu in 2010, several presidential candidates have already formed alliances with Cebu's political dynasties and other local parties to help campaign for the province's 2.7 million votes. (READ: Can Mar Roxas win in Cebu anew?)
Robredo is scheduled to visit Toledo City and Dumanjug towns on March 5 for multi-sectoral meetings in the morning. She will be in Lapu Lapu City in the afternoon for a grand proclamation rally. – with reports from Bea Cupin / Rappler.com