CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 March) – T-shirts, green baseball caps and an expensive outdoor sound system at the “RoSa” (Robredo-Sara) rally here Monday raised the question on who exactly was behind and providing funds for the campaign to drop the running mates of Vice President Leni Robredo and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
None of the three main organizers – Rep. Joey Salceda (2nd district, Albay), Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) – are saying.
Deputy Speaker Rodriguez said he has no idea who exactly is spending for the rally. “I was just invited to speak. I do not know whose money was used for this,” he said.
Rodriguez and the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) declared its support for Robredo and Duterte on Sunday, March 13.
Mayor Climaco said she was clueless about who was footing the bill for the launching of the RoSa movement in Cagayan de Oro.
Salceda, the lead convenor of the movement, told reporters that the money came from rich supporters who like the idea of a Robredo-Duterte tandem to run the country in the next six years.
He refused to give names when asked.
“The money just came in from supporters who believe that these two women leaders are good for the country,” he said.
“We have the resources, and that’s important,” Salceda added.
Robredo and Duterte are running under two opposing parties.
The Vice President’s running mate is Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan while Duterte belongs to coalition ticket that fielded the late dictator’s son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., as the standard bearer.
Rep. Joey Salceda (2nd district, Albay), Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro) launched the RoSa movement with a rally they led here Monday afternoon.
The three government officials are pushing for an all-woman tandem.
Supporters flocked to the rally in Divisoria as early as 3 p.m. Monday but the crowd, estimated to be over 1,000, failed in comparison with that of Robredo’s rally last month which drew an attendance of 10,000 people. The RoSa rally was held on the same site with that of Robredo, at Divisoria.
The RoSa rally was regaled with local performers and bands who performed on stage that has expensive sound equipment which reportedly cost from P200,000 to P300,000.
(Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
